Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Imperial Blades
by RyoshiMorino
Summary: Long ago, before the fall of the Republic, there existed a third Order. The Jedi suppressed their emotions in order to link themselves with the Light half of the Force, while the Sith gave themselves over to rage and hate to gain power from the Dark Side. Light and Dark, with nothing in between. But there were those that sought not to suppress, nor lose themselves to their emotions
1. Chapter 1: Shadows of the Past

_**Long ago, before the fall of the Republic, there existed a third Order. The Jedi suppressed their emotions in order to link themselves with the Light half of the Force, while the Sith gave themselves over to rage and hate to gain power from the Dark Side. Light and Dark, with nothing in between. But there were those that sought not to suppress, nor lose themselves to their emotions, but to embrace, and control them, creating the Grey area both sides needed.**_

 _ **1: Shadows of the Past**_

* * *

Beyond the Outer Rim lay the vast expanse of Wild Space. Very few have dared to venture past their known boundaries. Unknown are the habitable planets, as are the dangers these wild systems present. But deep within their reaches lay a planet, cloaked from sight by a large planetary deflector shield, the only thing visible being a shield gate through which, if one were to look, a person would see a vast world of plains, forests, and large bodies of water.

This planet, to the people that inhabited it, was known as Kawloon. And it was the last stronghold for a people long lost to history of the Galactic Republic.

A mix of races called this planet home. Many were Human, but just as many were similar species, leading to a diverse population. On this planet, lost to the confines of history, was not a simple race of people, but a way of life.

Within her protective forests, a group of younglings practice with wooden swords in stance unfamiliar to both Jedi and Sith alike. Overseeing them is a man in red-hued armor, at his hip, the hilt of his primary weapon.

"Konohamaru, you're moving a little too slow," the man called out kindly to the boy in question, "Try to speed up you strikes, else the blade won't hit properly."

"Yes, Master Iruka!" The boy, a young Human in his earliest teens, called back, smiling sheepishly.

The now identified Iruka smiled back, shaking his head, "Honestly," he muttered goodnaturedly, scratching the back of his head, "What am I gonna do with these kids?" He said, looking over his shoulder where a set of older younglings were moving through a more advanced style.

Watching over them was a young man around sixteen, wearing the grey cloak and armor of a Knight. He stood tall, with unruly black hair, and eyes a shade darker. He stood with a smirk on his face as he watched his students.

"Sasuke," Iruka said, moving up to the younger man, "How are you handling teaching?" He asked, noting the rigid stance the man had.

Sasuke shook his head, "Honestly, it's more of a hassle then I figured it would be," he said, scoffing, before laying into a girl for nearly striking another student, "Oi, Rina, dueling practice isn't for another two hours, watch it!"

"S-Sorry, Master Sasuke!" The girl squeaked.

Sasuke sighed, rubbing his eyes, "Were we this bad when you were teaching us, Master Iruka?"

Iruka chuckled heartily at this, smiling widely, "Oh, no, my young Knight, you were much, much worse," he said, crossing his arms as he looked back on his own students, "But, as hectic as you lot made my days of teaching you, I can't help but feel gratified with how much you've all grown. You and Knight Naruto were by far the most surprising out of all the Cadets I've ever taught."

Sasuke sighed, and smirked, "We fought with each other a lot back then, didn't we?" He said, looking off toward their village, "It's a shame, though, isn't it?"

"About Naruto?" Iruka asked, frowning, "Yes, it is, he's lost a lot these last few years. I'm surprised, really, that he hasn't turned to the Dark Side."

Sasuke shook his head, "No, Naruto wouldn't do that," he said with some confidence, "After all, he pulled me back from the brink after what happened to my father, so there's no way he'd fall himself."

Iruka nodded, "True, but the pull of the Dark Side can be all the more powerful for someone like him," he sighed, "After all, he lost his - "

"Everything," Sasuke hushed him, noting that some of the younglings were listening, "He lost everything."

Iruka noticed the interest they were getting as well, and sighed. "Speaking of which, how's Sakura?" The older man asked, which made the young of the two outright smile.

"She's getting bigger with each day," he said, smiling widely, "Neither of us can wait to meet our first child."

Iruka smiled right along with him, "I have to say, I'm surprised you two married, what with all the times you told her to buzz off," he said as Sasuke frowned, "What? You know it's true."

"No...it's not that," he said, looking toward the village, "I sense something."

At this, Iruka looked at the younger man, "Is it like before, when _he_ came?" He asked.

Sasuke shook his head, "No, nothing like that," he said, looking up at the deflector shield, "It...it just feels like something is about to change for us."

Foresight had never been in Sasuke's family, but Sasuke himself was extremely gifted with the Force. It was not heeding his words that had cost them dearly not so long ago. "Should we tell the Elders?"

Again, the young man shook his head, "No, not yet...I think this will be a good change...because Naruto is bringing it."

=Hutt Space=

Drifting through the confines of the Hutt controlled area we find a large ship heading toward Nal Hutta, the primary planet of the Hutt clans, and Galactic slave trade. The ship is of the Nagai, the pale-skinned people of Nagi. The ship is a slaver, transporting well over a thousand slaves to be sold on the planet.

Within the confines of the ships cells sits a young Torgruta female, her knees tucked up against her chest. Beside her is a Human male. Both are dressed in rags, dirtied and soiled from the bowls of the ship.

"I don't see why we could just follow the ship instead of posing as slaves," the Torgruta huffed, wrinkling her nose of the hundredth time, "It's horrible in here!"

The man looked at her from under his hood, "Just put up with it, Snips," he said, though his voice was strained from the rancid smells of sweat and bile, "We need to find out who's attacking all of these slave ships, and where they're taking all of the slaves they're carrying."

"We wouldn't need to be here if you hadn't opened your big mouth about being bored," the girl said, "But no, instead of chasing after Count Dooku, or General Grievous, we're stuck here, in the bottom of this Hutt-stinking ship."

"Alright, I admit it, it's all my fault," the man said, throwing his hands up in defeat, "Happy?"

"No."

"Shut up in there!" A Nagai guard snapped, striking the bars with his baton, "Or I'll feed ya to the Wookies!"

The Torgruta waited until he was gone before making a rude gesture behind his back. The man chuckled as she settled back into her spot, "That's not very ladylike, Ahsoka."

"They're not treating me like a lady," Ahsoka said huffily, crossing her arms over her chest, "And I swear, if we end up down on that planet, and they try to put me in one of those skimpy outfits they make Twi'leks wear, I'll - "

The ship lurched suddenly, throwing the pair around in their cell, "Force me, what was that!?" The man swore as alarms started going off. The ships crew could be heard shouting in Nagaiain. "Can you catch anything they're saying?"

Ahsoka listened for a moment, "I..I think they said we're under attack," she said, looking at the man, "But who'd be dumb enough to attack us while we're so close to the Hutt Homeworld?"

A clanging sound against the hull, and the grinding of metal made them aware of being latched onto. "I think we're about to find out."

Ahsoka listened a little more, "They said there's an intruder on our level!" The pounding of footsteps made by the Nagai as they pelted down the corridor made her step back. But just as they were passing their cell, the familiar _snap-hiss_ of a lightsaber caught her attention, and also caused the three slavers to halt as the bright orange light of the saber lit up the hall.

"Dammit, that's a Jedi!" One of the men shout, "Shoot that bastard!"

The word Jedi had the pair's attention right away as both the man and young girl pressed against the bars of their shared cell to see the intruder. As the hail of blaster bolts left their weapons, the orange blade flashed up in wide arcs, knocking the bolts safely away from the wielder, and the other cells. Three bolts were sent right back toward their weapons, destroying them in the hands of the three Nagai.

Ahsoka pressed against the bars to see better, and found the figure very close. The orange saber cast an eerie glow over the man's features, but she could see that he was young, and wore a strange armor over a black and orange tunic.

"I'm only going to say this once," the man said in a gravely voice, holding the saber aloft in a ready stance, "Abandon this ship, and your cargo, and you live. Got it?"

All three slaver drew long serrated knives, "To hell with you, Jedi!" The one in the middle shouted and lept forward. The stranger stepped to the side, raising his left hand to keep the man going with a Force push, and pulled another toward him, knocking him out with a knee to the face as the last one charged forward, slashing at him, only to be kicked into the wall as the man stepped out of the way once more.

The one that had attacked first returned and snuck up from behind him. "Look out!" Ahsoka yelled, causing the man to whip around, and slash the man from right hip to left shoulder with the orange blade.

The Nagai fell dead at his feet.

"Dammit," the man sighed, and extinguished his lightsaber. He reached up and, and spoke into his wrist, "This is _Orange Leader,_ guards on the containment level have been neutralized; one fatality."

" _Copy that, Orange Leader, Blue Leader and Alpha have taken control of the bridge_ " said a woman's voice on the other end of his comm. link.

"Roger that," Naruto said, "Get down here and wipe to two survivor's memories, and have _Alpha_ get us into hyper space double time. Hutts don't much care for stolen merchandise that they don't steal themselves."

" _Understood, I'll be down in a few minutes, over and out,_ " the woman said.

The man sighed as he lowered his wrist and turned to their cell, "Thank you for warning me," he said, his gaze locking onto Ahsoka as he stepped into the dim light of the brig. Ahsoka had been right. He was young, but he was a big man. He was as tall as her master, with wild, spiky blond hair that was rarely seen in humans nowadays, and eyes so blue that they were deeper than the blue of her friend Aayla's skin. On his face were six whisker-like markings, three per side, the only thing marring his tanned skin.

"Uh...y-you're welcome?" She said uncertainly, "A-are you a Jedi?" She asked, more for her companion's benefit than her own. This man certainly didn't fight like a Jedi.

The man chuckled before re-igniting his lightsaber and slashing through their prison cell door, "Something like that," he reached in, offering her his hand, "My name is Naruto Uzumaki."

She reached up, accepting his aid, but the moment her hand touched his, she felt a great disturbance inside of the man whose hand she now held. In this man she felt emotions that no Jedi should ever feel. There was loss, sadness, anger, loneliness, and so much more that it was almost too much for the young Padawan to take. But in taking his hand, she had also given herself away as he hoisted her from the cell. Standing at full height, she only just reached the top of his chest, forcing her to look up at him. Those amazingly blue eyes now turned hard as ice.

"You're a Jedi yourself, aren't you?" He asked, looking from her, to the man that was not getting out of the cell behind her, "And you...heh, guess I was wrong, _you're_ the Jedi," he said, looking back at Ahsoka, " _You're_ just a Padawan."

"And you're no Jedi," the man said, his brow furrowed, "Who, or _what_ are you?"

Naruto looked at him, grinning, "I just told you who I am, so shouldn't you introduce yourselves?" He asked, gesturing to the pair of them, "It's only polite, ya know?"

Ahsoka, seeing that her master was at his boiling point already, intervened before either one came to blows, "I'm Ahsoka Tano, Padawan of the Jedi Order, and this is my master, Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker."

"And I'm surprised that Naruto actually didn't kill you two," giggled a girlish voice from down the hall as a human woman around Ahsoka's age sauntered toward them. Like Naruto, she wore the same armor over a purple tunic, and had long platinum blonde hair. Her lighter blue eyes twinkled with mirth and mischief as she looked between her comrade and the two Jedi. "Really, Naruto, the last time you ran into a Jedi, you nearly brought the entire compound down."

Naruto crossed his arms, "Do you blame me after what he did to me?" The man asked coldly, "Now get to work on these slavers, and stuff'em in an escape pod," he said, turning on his heel, "And have Sai send a message to those overgrown slugs. I want them thinking that this is Dooku's work."

That caught Anakin's attention, "Are you working for Count Dooku?!"

Naruto gave the Jedi a look, "I would never work for that murdering bastard," the blond said, a pressure forming around him made entirely of the Force, "And if I ever see him, or that mechanized monster, Grievous, again, I'm going to kill them both!"

With that, the blond strode down the hall, his cloak flaring out behind him. The woman stamped her foot in irritation, "Oi, what about these two!" She yelled, pointed at the Jedi and Padawan, "The Elders are gonna get mad at us again!"

"So what?" Naruto's voice floated back to her, "We bring them along."

"Ugh!" The woman frowned, and set to work on the two unconscious slavers, her index and middle fingers glowing as she touched them to their foreheads. A few moments, and she was done with both of them, and stuffed them into a nearby escape pod, and launched them.

Ahsoka looked up at her master, "Is that the Force she's using to do that?" She asked in wonder as the two Nagai adopted peaceful looks upon their faces.

Anakin shook his head, "I'm not sure," he said truthfully as the woman rose up, "I've never seen anyone do that before. Is it a Jedi skill?" He asked, noticing that the woman, whoever she was, had pale blue eyes instead of the sickly yellow of the Sith.

The woman gave a small huff, "You two won't be getting anything out of me until the Elders figure out what to do with you," she said, crossing her arms and sauntering down the halls again, "And just so you know, they don't care for Jedi anymore than Naruto does."

"Dooku's no Jedi," Ahsoka said, trying to placate the woman as she walked by, "He's a Sith Lord, now."

But she was ignored as the woman spoke into her wrist, "Sai, what's the hold up?" She asked, "Why haven't we made the jump, yet?"

" _Sorry, Ino, but Naruto's giving the Hutts quite an earful up hear,_ " said quietly pleasant voice, " _Honestly, I'm glad it's not me he's raging at for once, because he sounds pissed._ "

The woman, now known as Ino, groaned, and continued walking, "Great, just great, first we wait until we're right in the bowels of Hutt territory to jump the damn ship, and now our stupidly fearless leader is giving the whole cartel a fucking lecture!"

" _You know the Comm. is still on, right?_ " Sai quipped, bringing the blonde's attention back to her wrist, " _Really, dearest, you should see Naruto right now, he's-w-w-wait, Naruto I just got this thing fi- AH! Zzzt_ "

Ino huffed, "And there he goes again," she said, looking back at the Jedi, "Come on, you two," she said, snapping her fingers as if they were her pets, "We'll send a message to your precious Jedi Council before leaving the system, and let them know where to pick up the bodies."

Ahsoka looked at the woman's back as she strode away, "She...was just joking, right?" She asked, looking up at Anakin.

The young Jedi sighed and scratched his head, "Come on, Snips, we might as well get going...at least I think I could get along with their leader."

Ahsoka tailed after him, "Yeah, he seemed like the kind of guy you'd get along with, Master."

=Bridge=

"And I'm telling ya, you stinking pile of Bantha poodo, these slave are now the property of Count Dooku," Naruto roared at the hologram image of the pale Twi'lek he was linked to, "We need the labor, and while we're grateful that you've provided us with so many strong workers, we are unable to compensate you as of the moment, so please, send all bills of sale to General Grievous for further negotiations."

Sai nearly let a chuckle escape at how Naruto was handling the man, one moment raging at him like he'd been robbed by him, as they were doing, and the next being as polite as if he were at a social gathering.

The doors leading to the bridge came open, revealing Ino with the two Jedi in tow. Ino cocked her hip, and placed her hands on them in a stance that all but told him that his love was pissed beyond belief as Naruto finished with the transmission.

Naruto turned around with a satisfied look on his face until he saw the look on Ino's face. "Uh oh." The blond mumbled as the woman puffed up to give him an earful, and an earful she did give him. Ahsoka was suddenly glad that she wasn't versed in very many languages save for Basic, and a bit of Ryl, but she did not need to know the language that Ino was screeching at the man in front of her to know that she was cursing out but good.

"Wow," Anakin chuckled, "and I thought you were a spitfire, Snips."

"You can understand that babble?" The girl asked, watching as Ino wagged her finger in Naruto's face.

Anakin nodded, "It's a form of Mandalorian, and trust me, you do not want to know what she's saying." He assured her.

Sai gave them a thin smile, "I understand what she's saying, and believe me, I wish I didn't," he said, frowning, "Ino, dear, I don't believe that last suggestion's possible."

"Not without a lot of contortion," Anakin commented, bringing both blond's attention to the two Jedi. "Hello again."

Naruto groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose, "Sai, get us out of here before the Hutt's blast us out of orbit." He said, looking at the blonde again, "Ino, get on the comm. and contact Master Kakashi. I want him to get everything ready for the refugees." He then turned his attention to the Jedi and Padawan, "As for you two, we'll allow you to contact the Jedi Order after we've moved out of Hutt Space. You'll then be brought before out Council of Elders."

"Are you going to kill us?" Ahsoka couldn't help but ask, fearful of the blonde's earlier statement about where they'd dump their bodies.

Naruto gave the girl a soft look, and smiled, "Normally, I dislike killing," he said truthfully, and shook his head, "Worst case scenario, you'll have your memories of our Homeworld's location wiped from your mind, along with anything else that may lead to a...witch hunt, I guess you could call it."

"Why?" Anakin found himself asking, "From what I've already witnessed, you don't seem to be Sith, but you're also different than any Jedi I know within the Order." He said, shaking his head, "And the skills you used on those slavers? No one's ever used the Force like that, at least no one in our archives."

Naruto looked at the man and sighed, "Sai, get us out of here," he said, "What's the hold up?"

"Setting coordinates for home," Sai said, "Jumping to hyper space in three...two...one." The ship gave a small lurch as they entered hyper space.

"Ino, do we have communications with Kakashi, yet?"

"Working on it," Ino said, looking up from the console, "This is some really crappy equipment."

Naruto nodded in acceptance, and looked back at the two Jedi, "What we are, is what the Jedi were supposed to be," he said, tucking his arms behind his back, "We were once an order as great as the Jedi, but fell over one hundred years ago. Since then, we've moved from planet to planet. Hoping beyond hope that we could find a home and rebuild ourselves. We have succeeded."

"And who is 'we'?" Ahsoka asked, becoming impatient, "We've both asked several times, but you've just skirted around the answer!"

Naruto smiled, "You're a handful, I'll bet," he said, looking at Anakin, "How did you managed to get her as a Padawan?"

"Luck, and the will of my meddling Master," Anakin sighed dramatically as Ahsoka huffed, "But she does have a point. Please, even it must make us forget, we'd like to know what kind of order you belong to?" He said, "We were sent out here to find out who was stealing slaves from the Hutts, because they were never seen or heard from again after they were taken."

"Every slave we've taken has lived," Naruto said, "We've given them the choice of returning to their Homeworlds, or staying on with us on ours. None of them chose to go back home." He said, smiling at the young Padawan again, "As for what we are...we are the Order of the Imperial Knights...the Grey Jedi."

=x=

" _Grey Jedi, you say, Anakin?_ " Obi-Wan Kenobi said via hologram as he spoke with his former apprentice, " _I haven't ever heard of such a thing._ "

Anakin nodded, "Neither have I," he admitted, "They claim to have gone under the radar one hundred years ago, but how can an entire Order just disappear like that?"

As he asked this, Grand Master Yoda appeared, " _Easy it is to disappear, when one wants not to be found._ " Yoda said, smiling, " _Heard of these Imperial Knights, I have. Strong with the Force they are. Very dangerous._ "

Ahsoka pipped up, "Yeah, their leader sounds like he's had a run-in with Dooku and Grievous," she said, crossing her arms, "He wants a crack at them for sure."

"He's not the only one," Anakin said, frowning, "But he also said a few things that just don't add up. How have they stayed hidden for as long as they have?"

" _We don't yet know,_ " Obi-wan said, " _For now, just try to keep yourselves out of trouble, and don't do anything rash._ "

Yoda chuckled, " _Asking much, you are, of this pair,_ " he said, smiling at them, " _Long ago, the Grey Jedi formed. Many Knights they had. Practiced in the Force they did. Form attachments, they did. Their own Code they had. Fought them, the Jedi Order and the Sith did. Sometimes, fought beside them we did._ "

"Can we trust them?" Anikin asked.

" _To trust them your own decision is,_ " Yoda said, shaking his head, " _Honorable they are. Harm you they will not if this Naruto Uzumaki has said._ "

" _They did let you contact us, as well,_ " Obi-Wan said thoughtfully, " _It's a show of faith._ "

" _Move mountains, faith can, but hope it is that gives life._ " Yoda said, " _Extend a hand of friendship the Jedi Order will._ "

Ahsoka looked a little skeptical, "You want us to broker a treaty with these people?"

" _Many lives this war has cost us,_ " Yoda said, nodding, " _Fallen have many friends, both Jedi and Clones. Hidden they may be, but find them eventually, the Droid armies will._ "

Anakin frowned in thought, "I'll admit that from what I saw of their abilities is something, but do you really think they'd join the Republic after hiding themselves for so long?"

Yoda gave a small shrug, " _Find out I believe you will._ "

The transmission ended. Both Padawan and Master looked at each other. "This doesn't sound like what we signed up for," Ahsoka said, "We were supposed to find out who was taking all of the slaves, and where, but I never thought it'd be other Jedi."

"And now we have to face their Elders," Anakin agreed. Things looked grim. "But at least they don't have any love loss between them and Dooku."

Ahsoka shivered when she recalled the look in Naruto's eyes. "I felt so much anger from him," the young Torgruta mumbled, looking up at her master, "I've...felt the same from you more than once...when we were on Tatooine."

Anakin understood what she meant immediately, "And I still don't wanna talk about it," he said, "But if Naruto's like me, then we might just get along better than I thought."

=Bridge=

Naruto sat in the pilot's seat as they came out of hyper space, "Home sweet home," he grumbled, "What did Kakashi have to say?"

Sai gave him a small smile, "Before or after I told him we had two Jedi on board?"

"Sai." Naruto growled in warning.

The pale teen nodded, the smile never leaving his face, "He's quite upset, which is saying something considering how lazy he can be. Also, the Elders have been informed, and there are mixed reactions." He said, turning about to face the blond, "Ultimately, Masters Sarutobi and Jiraiya have voted that we escort them to the council chambers after we have settled the freed slaves."

"We're lucky we weren't busted back down to Cadets," Ino pipped up. "Why is it that every time I come along on a run when Naruto's in charge, I get into massive trouble?"

Naruto gave the girl a genuine smile, "Because it's more fun this way?" He said, causing her to glare at him lightly, but the smile remained, "Still, I'm sorry if this puts your careers at risk. I'll talk to the old geezers for you when we get back."

Sai finally lost his smile, "You know you were skating on pretty thin ice already, don't you?" He asked, concerned, "If they don't take away your lightsaber, then you'll at least be taken off active duty."

"He's right," Ino said, leaning on her hands, "Don't get me wrong, Naruto, I do think you need to calm down, but if you take the whole blame for this, you're screwed."

Naruto sighed, thinking about the little Padawan he'd met earlier, "Heh, maybe I'll turn to the Jedi?"

Ino frowned at him, "Don't you dare," the blonde snapped, "You've already done too much for those idiots to cast you out, and that's without your memories!" She said, "Where would you go? You'd be just like a newborn, wandering about without even a trace of who you are!"

Naruto looked at her for a moment before placing his arms behind his head, "I've been thinking that it might not be so bad," he said, his mind wandering to girl of fair skin, and deep indigo hair, round with child. His child. "Forgetting everything horrible that's ever happened to me might not be such a bad idea."

"Coward," Sai put in, blunt as always, "You swore you'd hunt them down, and now you want to forget about it all? That's not the Naruto I know."

"Me, either," Ino said, shaking her head, "Look, I know you're in pain, trust me, I know," she said when he began to interrupt, "But running from pain can only lead you to the Dark Side."

Naruto sighed once more, and sat up, "You know, you're right," he said, and stood up as the approached their destination, "When I talk to the council, I think it's about time for me to knock a few heads!"

* * *

 _ **I have been wanting to do a Star Wars Crossover ever since I read The Good Left Undone. While this one won't be as good, I think, I pray that you all will enjoy it. Now, this won't follow Canon all that much, save for a few Clone Wars episodes I liked. The War against Dooku, Grievous, and ultimately, Sidious, will be much different.**_

 _ **Please Leave a Review if you Liked the idea!**_


	2. Chapter 2: The Council of Elders

_**Thanks to all who Reviewed!**_

 _ **Leaf Ranger: Yes, regrettably, you suspicions are true, but if you want a good Naruto/Aayla fic, then I'd highly recommend The Good Left Undone. It's a fantastic Star Wars/Naruto fic that blends everything together so superbly that I've fallen in love with the story itself.**_

 _ **Blaze1992: Oh, no, I don't much care for such scenes as that, though I can allude to them, I'm incapable of writing them.**_

 _ **DragonPony022: You can't wait to see more? Look below!**_

 _ **Kneel before Zod: Sorry, but no chakra, or Chakra canon in this story, I'll be using mostly Star Wars tech.**_

 _ **Guest: To be honest, there's one other that's titled the Grey Jedi, but I don't know if it pertains to the Imperial Knights, or not as I haven't had a chance to read it.**_

 _ **coduss: Thanks for pointing that out, I've gone back and fixed that particular problem.**_

 _ **BiGTsOLaS: I try to update as frequently as my job allows me, that, or whenever inspiration kicks me in the ass. :p**_

 ** _2: The Council of Elders_**

* * *

Ahsoka plastered herself against the windows of the ship as they came out of hyper space...into empty, wild space. "I thought we were going to land on your planet?" She asked, looking at Sai, who was sitting in the pilot's seat, "There's nothing but open space out here."

The Nagai slave ship they had taken had taken two hours for them to reach their destination thanks beacons they had thrown out along the way. But as the ship exited, the young Padawan found nothing.

Sai chuckled, "Our planet's cloaked with the aid of a modified planetary deflector shield." The young man said, "Our elders wanted to keep our people safe until we were able to properly train our people up again before we revealed ourselves again."

Anakin crossed his arms as he noted that there was indeed something out in space, "Why isn't your shield gate cloaked like the rest of your planet, then?" He asked, gesturing out the window where Ahsoka had also spotted the device.

Ino answered this time, "It's because the cloak messes with out communications systems," she said, "Any ships we send out for supplies or missions to liberate slave like the ones on this ship wouldn't be able get any links back home if we covered the shield gate in a cloak, so we have no choice but to leave it bare until all of our ships come back."

Anakin nodded in understanding, "So you're not totally isolated," he said, "That explains a few things, but still, how did you manage to stay hidden for so long?"

The woman shrugged, "Most if no all our Knights are trained in a few mind-based Force techniques, like the one I used on those slavers down in hold," she said, holding up her fore and middle fingers, "All I have to do is use the Force to enter the minds of my targets, and find any and all memories that could incriminate us, and erase them." She said, "Best thing is, it doesn't hurt my target, and they don't remember meeting us at all."

"But it requires physical contact," Anakin said, remembering how she had to touch the slavers' foreheads, "So unless you knock them out, or make sure they can't move, you can't use it, right?"

"More or less," Ino shrugged.

"You're more than welcome to learn a few things from our people if the Elders don't have use wipe you after the meeting," Sai put in, "With all of the families we have down there, many of the children born are Force-sensitive."

Ahsoka gave the pale teen a surprised look, "Wouldn't that be like us stealing from your people?"

"We don't discriminate," Ino said whilst cleaning her nails, "Besides, from what I understand, our Order only came about by us learning from both the Jedi, and the Sith." She noticed the looks of disbelief on the two Jedi's faces, "What, it's true. Our people take the best of both worlds and combine them equally. We border on the edge of the Dark Side, but just so we border on the edge of the Light. It's why they called us Grey Jedi."

Anakin remained thoughtful as he took in the information, ' _So they're warriors with powers from both the Jedi and the Sith,_ ' the Jedi Knight thought, ' _Master Yoda was right, they are dangerous. But I don't think they mean anyone any harm._ '

"We don't," Ino said suddenly, looking at Anakin, smiling, "I can read minds, just so you know."

Anakin stiffened, "Oh, uh..."

"Don't worry," the blonde smiled, waving off his concerns, "any secrets you have are safe with me...so long as I don't see any reason to expose them." Anakin did not feel any better from her assurance, "But you're more like us than you think, both of you." She said, looking at Ahsoka. "Your emotions are very strong, even if you try to hide them." She said, looking the girl square in the eyes, "You, for example, feel fear. You're afraid you won't amount to a Jedi Knight. Not because of who your teacher is, but because of yourself. Doubt and fear that you will be your own downfall."

Ahsoka turned away, rubbing her arms shyly as Anakin looked at her in surprise, "Snips, is that true?" He frowned when the girl nodded, "Oh, come on, Ahsoka, you know I wasn't the model student as a Padawan! You're doing just fine."

"If she remains your apprentice, you might stand to mention that a little more," Ino put in, "after that first battle when the two of you met, you have no idea how much your words to Master Yoda meant to her when you said she would amount to something." And then she stepped forward and jabbed him in the chest, making him scowl, "And you also tend to treat her like a youngling when she's just passed sixteen." She gestured to herself, then, "I've only just turned seventeen, and been a Knight for two years, same as my husband over there."

"Yo," Sai said from the controls.

That was another thing the young Torgruta noticed. The way Ino and Sai moved around each other. They seemed to gravitate toward each other in ways that she knew were strictly taboo for Jedi. The fact that she said that they were married made sense, considering how they acted, and how Sai would refer to her as 'dearest' at times.

"Sai, how long until they let us in?" Ino asked, taking a seat next to him.

Sai gave a shrug, "Not sure. Apparently they're arguing again." He said, frowning, "Honestly, why Masters Sarutobi and Jiraiya put up with Danzo and his harping is beyond me. I may have studied under the man, but even I have to admit his line of thinking is way outdated."

Ino giggled and draped herself across his shoulders, much to the two Jedi's discomfort at seeing such an intimate contact. "This coming from the man that used to hang on every word he said, eh, _ner kar'taylir darasuum_?"

Anakin gulped.

"What did she say?" Ahsoka whispered.

"My love," Ino repeated in Basic, grinning at the girl, and tapping her head, "Mind reader, remember?"

Ahsoka had the decency to blush, "Sorry."

"No you're not," Anakin muttered.

"Oh, bite me!"

Ino giggled, tempted to say something about the man's wife, but kept it to herself. ' _Perhaps I can have a little fun with her._ ' She thought, and extended her mind out toward the girl's. Ahsoka, young as she was, wasn't able to sense her presence in her mind at all. What Ino found was typical of any Jedi Padawan. She had a strong sense of loyalty to a Jedi Master named Plo Koon, as well as to the Order itself. She found she was quite aggressive and snarky, but she was also a caring young woman, and kind.

Something sparked the blonde's interest though. Buried deep were the images of her friend, Naruto. To Tano, the moment she saw the large blond male, she had been awestruck. Not only by his handsome looks, to Ino's amusement, but his prowess with the lightsaber. She was, shamefully, attracted to the man, even though she knew that it was strictly forbidden to form such bonds with others. Ino noticed that her own affections toward her husband had sparked the girl's interest. Not only were the actions frowned upon by the Order to which she belonged, but such displays were scandalous in some of her Masters' points of view.

Master Windu in particular would have razed a storm about such actions.

Ino found it cute that the girl was interested in Naruto, but slightly upset that she was suppressing her feelings and curiosity. ' _Though I doubt Naruto would actually pay her any mind,_ ' she thought, sighing, ' _Matter of fact, he'd probably stay as far away from her as possible._ '

Still, Ino thought it would be good for the man to start giving in to his old self again. The girl, if she could convince her to branch out a little, could possibly bring her old friend back, but...that would mean really putting her nose where it didn't belong.

"If you don't mind my asking," Anakin said, bringing the blonde out of her thoughts, "What's the story with you other friend? Naruto I think his name was?"

Ahsoka, none the wiser to the prodding she'd just gotten, looked up in interest, "Hey, yeah, he seemed really upset when he found out we were Jedi," she said, "he was even able to sense it by taking my hand earlier."

"What I want to know is how and why he knows Count Dooku and General Grievous," the Jedi Knight said, crossing his arms, "When I asked him if he was in league with the man, he swore that he'd kill both of them if he ever found them. So what's his deal?"

Sai looked back at him uncomfortably, "That...really isn't our tale to tell."

Ino smirked, knowing that the blonde in question was deep within the bowels of the ship tending to the slaves, "That being said, we've got time before he comes back."

"Ino," Sai groaned, knowing there was no way that he was going to stop her. A secret his wife could keep, but get her going, and there was no stopping her whatsoever.

Ino stuck her tongue out at him, "They'll find out sooner, or later, darling, so there's no need to skirt around the issue like he does," she reasoned, smiling, and looking back at the pair, "Now, before I start, you have to promise...that you did not hear this from me!" She said seriously.

Anakin raised his brow, "Is it that bad?"

"I don't want to be on the receiving end of Naruto's lightsaber," Ino said, crossing her arms, "Besides, if he finds out I told you, he'd feed me to a saber-toothed cat back home."

"A what?" Ahsoka frowned.

"Never mind," the woman sighed, "Anyway, you guys will understand when I tell you." She said, and took a deep, calming breath, "Okay, listen up. About four months ago, Naruto was really just coming into his rank as a Master. He was already highly skilled, and considered a candidate for a council member, even as young as he is." She said, gaining looks of disbelief from the two Jedi, "Anyway, he was always taking missions away from home with his team, Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and Hinata Hyuuga. He and Hinata were married by then, had been for about two years, and - "

"Hang on," Ahsoka said, holding up her hands, "Wouldn't that make him about fourteen or so? That's a little young."

"Naruto and Hinata were both fifteen by the time they married," Ino explained, frowning at the interruption, "Any way, the trouble started when they went on a supply run. It was a military planet called Vega, I think, and under Sepratist control. It was going to be an easy run, grab a few shield generators, some fuel cells, maybe steal a few freighters if they could get their hands on them...but it all went south when they happened to run into a Jedi, and a Jedi Hunter."

"Dooku and Grievous," Anakin growled.

Ino nodded, "Naruto and Sasuke managed to hold him off, but when Grievous got involved, they were out matched. Hinata, Naruto's wife, saw them about to strike Naruto down and went to intervene." She sighed, and tucked her legs against her chest, "If any of us had known what we do now, we never would've let her go with them. Grievous killed her right in front of Naruto...it was only later that we found out that she'd been a month along in pregnancy."

Ahsoka looked horrified. Anakin clenched his fists, the stump of his right arm aching. "That's why he hates them so much." The Jedi Knight frowned. "They literally took everything from him, didn't they?"

"Yeah, everything," Ino said, "And he hasn't been the same since then. Even those that aren't strong in the Force back home could see the change in him. He laughed less, he barely smiled, and he started taking on only the most dangerous of jobs." She said, shaking her head, "But he wasn't fooling anyone. He was looking for them. And he still is."

"Don't be surprised if Naruto tries to come with you two if you're allowed to leave with your memories intact," Sai put in, looking back at them, "Since the Republic is at war with Dooku and the Sepratists, he'll take the chance to leave and go after them himself. It's only blind luck that he's stayed with us this long."

"Blind luck, and the idea of becoming a godfather to Sasuke's child," Ino piped up, smiling, "It's why he's not with us right now, since he and Sakura are expecting in about four to five more months."

Anakin smiled, "I'm honestly looking forward to seeing this home of yours."

"It sounds a lot like Coruscant," Ahsoka put in.

Sai chuckled, "Nothing like it at all," he said as something came through on the communications line. "Ah, they're letting us through."

=x=

The planet of Kawloon was much like the world of Kashyyyk. The forest hosted giant trees so big someone could build a home in them. Which many had, as Ahsoka found that there were homes built into the branches while children swung from ropes and swings. Most of the people, the young Togruta noted, were species that were widely considered slaves by the Hutts. Twil'ek, and human females were in large numbers here. There were even a fairly large number of Wookies, many of whom had come to greet the ones Naruto now led out of the slave ship.

While Ino and Sai were greeted by a man and woman that were obviously related to the young woman, the tall blond was greeted by no one. ' _Is he really all alone?_ ' She asked herself, wondering why no one was greeting him.

Her worries, however, were short lived as a man and woman around his age came up to him. The woman, showing the round belly of pregnancy, wrapped the blond in a hug while the other man shook his hand, smiling.

Though she was out of earshot, she assumed that these were to two partners that Ino had mentioned earlier. Anakin brought her out of her musings by placing a hand on her shoulder, "Stay close, Snips," he told her, "I don't want you wandering off." He took note that most, if not all of the people that were armed with blasters or lightsabers. All of them were a danger to him.

But they needn't have worried. Naruto came up to them only a few moments later. "Come on, the old men are waiting for us," he said, a frown marring his face again that made Ahsoka take a step back. He was so intimidating when he did that it even got to Anakin.

He led them through a happy, bustling village where people were selling their wares of fine cloth, fruits, vegetables, and stall vendors were cooking up meals for the taking. A large hairy animal lumbered down the streets pulling a large cart behind it. The thing reminded Ahsoka of an Ortolan, save for that it was far larger, had massive tusks, and was covered from head to tail in thick, woolly fur. It gave trumpeting roar from its long trunk as it passed them by.

"What in the galaxy is that?" Anakin asked in wonder of the large animal.

"It's called a mammoth," the blond supplied, "We use them as beasts of burden as well as a source of meat and wool."

Ahsoka giggled as another, smaller mammoth trudged behind the adult, and took an interest in her when it raised its trunk to take in her scent. The rumbling sound the animal made reminded her of a purr from some of the felines she had encountered. "They're so cute," the girl said, reaching out to pet the creature.

"Cute, but loud," Anakin noted as the larger animal trumpeted again, reaching back with its trunk to tug the little one along. "Why is it that everything you think is cute is either loud, or smelly, or both?"

Ahsoka huffed as they continued down the streets, taking in the sights of the village. Other strange animals caught their attention, even the creature she assumed was the saber-toothed cat that Ino had mentioned. She had to admit, those teeth didn't look like they would be any fun.

"Are all of these people former slaves?" Anakin asked as they passed by a group of Wookies, "None of them wanted to go home?"

Naruto looked at him as they neared the center of the village, "Most of the people were sold into slavery by their own kind, like the Twi'leks, and some humans, but the Wookies were all taken forcibly. The fights they put up with killed many of their own before they were taken prisoner. So they saw no reason to return home when most if not all of their friends and family were destroyed." He said, raising his hand in greeting to a grey-furred Wookie that hooted at him, "Greyback, there lost his son when his village was attacked, but managed to save his grandchild when they were taken. They both live here now as leaders of the tribe that's grown here little by little."

"What about you?" Ahsoka asked, "Were you brought here, too?"

"I was born and raised here," he said, smiling a little, making Ahsoka blush lightly before he looked back ahead of them, "Lately, though, even as large as this planet is compared to those in the Inner, Mid,and Outer Rims, it feels suffocating."

They came to a small building with a domed roof. Naruto knocked on the door, and waited for a moment before it was opened from the inside. No one stood to greet them, but Naruto stepped inside, "They're waiting for us."

Anakin and Ahsoka followed him inside cautiously. Once inside the building, they found themselves surrounded by Elders. Each one sat at their own desk, further back, across from the hall they had entered from, sat two figures. One was a younger man, though he was far older than Anakin, around fifty years old, or so. Like Naruto, he was a big man, standing at little over six feet tall, with wild white hair.

Next to him was a shorter man, though he was no less imposing than his companion. He was the oldest, by far, Ahsoka could tell. Though he wasn't anywhere near Yoda's age, there was a pressure about him that exuded age, and strength.

"Ah, young Master Naruto," the Elder spoke, smiling pleasantly, "We've been expecting you, and these two young ones you've brought into our midst."

Naruto gave a short bow of his head, "It's good to see you again, Master Sarutobi," he said, giving another bow to the man beside him, "Staying out of trouble, I hope, Master Jiraiya?"

The big man chuckled, the pronounced laugh lines on his face putting the young Tano at ease. "You know me better than that, my former apprentice," he laughed, looking past him, and at the young Padawan, "Now, why don't you introduce your new friends to us. It's been a long time since we've had Jedi within our midst."

"Yes," sneered another Elder from the right side of the room, "Do please tell us why you thought it wise to bring these Jedi into our ranks, and we may decide to let you keep your blade."

Naruto gave the man a cold look that silenced any other supporters he might have had, but the man's sneer remained as Naruto's hand went right to his lightsaber, "Take it from me if you dare, Elder Danzo." He said, holding the tool out in front of him, his thumb primed on the ignition. "It'll be a cold day in hell before I give this over to a war monger like you."

"Why you insolent little -!"

"Enough!" Sarutobi roared, raising from his seat, "Danzo, control yourself! And Master Uzumaki, there will be no dueling within these walls!"

Only when the man stood did Anakin notice the elongated saberstaff at his hip. This man was not to be trifled with. Naruto, however, simply placed his saber back at his hip. "I was only stating a fact. If he wants a duel, we can step outside, and have at it while the rest of you deal with these two Jedi."

"If you're going to trounce Danzo, I'd like a front row seat," stated a younger red-haired man with coal markings around his eyes, "It's been a long time since someone on the council has dueled anyone."

"Yourself included, Master Gaara?" An elder woman asked, smiling.

"There will be no dueling," Sarutobi sighed, retaking his seat, "Now, let us get down to the matters at hand. I assume that one of these two is a Jedi Knight, and the other a Padawan learner?"

Anakin stepped forward, "I am Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, and this," he gestured to Ahsoka, "Is my Padawan, Ahsoka Tano."

There were murmurs of surprise all around the council room before Jiraiya spoke up, "I've heard of you, Knight Skywalker," he said, smiling, "You are considered one of the best pilots the Republic has seen in a long time." Jiraiya said, making the younger man nod in thanks, "But I have also heard that you are reckless, hard-headed, and have a blatant disregard for the rules, and direct orders."

"That's my master," Ahsoka pipped up, smiling at her master's scowl.

"Quiet, Snips," Anakin frowned. "I'll admit that I'm not the typical Jedi, but I assure you that - "

"I am not calling your loyalties into question," Jiraiya smiled, "I actually wish that more Jedi were like you. Yes, very much like you." He said.

Sarutobi smiled in response to the man's words, "The Jedi Order is different than what we are, Master Jiraiya," he said, looking at the young Knight, "But we are getting off topic. Knight Skywalker, I would ask you what your views are on our culture. From what you have seen with your own eyes, I ask, do you believe that we pose a threat?"

Anakin was slightly stunned at the outright question. Yes, he believed that, if they were pushed, the Grey Jedi could indeed pose a threat, but they seemed peaceful compared to what Master Yoda had told him. The only ones that he thought would need watching were the ones known as Danzo, and perhaps Gaara, seeing as how he seemed to enjoy watching conflict.

"Grand Master Yoda asked that I extend a hand in friendship," Anakin said, relaying his master's words, "In these times of conflict, where people like Count Dooku, and General Grievous plot against the Republic, no one is safe. If we are to survive the Droid armies, then we need to pull together in order to defeat the threat."

Sarutobi hummed in thought, "And when Dooku and Grievous are defeated, what then?" He asked, throwing the young Jedi off, "Hearken to me, young Skywalker, for many years ago, when I was young and foolish, I believed that the Order of the Imperial Knights and the Jedi Order could live in harmony. When our Order fought alongside them to defeat Darth Krayt, our men were always on the front lines, dying against the forces of the Sith when the Jedi held back, and watched us die. Tell me, what's to stop that same thing from happening again?"

"The Order isn't like that anymore," Ahsoka said, but there was uncertainty in her voice. Something that Naruto could hear very clearly. "There are so few of us left now that even Padawans like me are sent to the front lines to fight. Clones and Jedi have been fighting and dying for nearly three years, the worst of it being on Geonosis when so many of the Order died down in that arena."

One of the women in the room smiled at the young girl, "You speak with uncertainty, yet you still try to convince us of the change in the Order." She was a woman with long auburn hair, and brown eyes. "You're a strong one, little Padawan." She rose from her seat, "Master Sarutobi, I move that we give the Jedi a chance. Send a few of our warriors to their temple, so that they may assess their worth. If they prove themselves to be trustworthy, then let us come out of hiding, but if not, then we remain where we are."

Sarutobi nodded in agreement, "Mistress Terumi has put forth the motion of setting forth, and stepping out of the shadows," he said, smiling at the younger woman, "This is indeed a great risk, but a risk that is necessary." He looked back to the three youngsters in the room, "Naruto, please take our guests and wait outside as we put this to a vote."

"Yes, Master Sarutobi." Naruto bowed, and turned on his heel, leading the duo out. As they stepped outside, he turned to the young Togruta, "That was well spoken. You should be proud."

Ahsoka blushed under his praise. "Thank you, Master Naruto."

"Do you think they'll vote in favor of this course of action?" Anakin asked, slightly miffed that his Padawan had addressed the blond as a master.

Naruto shrugged, "Even if they don't, I intend to leave here with you two." He said, smirking, "You two are my best bet at getting a crack at Count Dooku and Grievous. Even if I have to abandon my home to do it, I'm not going to pass that up."

"How far have you traveled, anyway?" Ahsoka asked, "Have you been to Coruscant before?"

"I've only ever traveled through Hutt Space, and a few times to Geonosis to pick up weapons, and to free slaves, or even steal a few ships for our use," Naruto said, shrugging his shoulders slightly, "Most of the food we need is grown and raised here, the same can be said for the cloth we produce. This planet has a large species of silk worm that produces enough silk for countless bolts of cloth with only a few cocoons. The moths they turn into, however, can be dangerous."

"Were there any other inhabitants of this planet?" She asked, curious to know if any other races lived on the planet.

"A few Zebraks called this place home, but they left when we started liberating slaves," Naruto said, frowning, "Master Gaara is actually one fourth Zabrak on his father's side, though he doesn't show it, he does have two hearts, like they do."

"What about you?" Anakin asked, smirking, "You part Wookie, or something?"

Naruto arched his brow, "How could you tell?" He asked, completely serious.

"What?!" Ahsoka yelped, "You're part Wookie?!"

Naruto leaned over and looked her dead in the eyes, "No, I was kidding."

"Would've explained the shaggy hair, though," Anakin put in while Ahsoka fumed.

"Laugh it up, Skyguy," the girl said huffily, and crossed her arms, "Next time you need saving, you can find someone else to do it."

Naruto chuckled, "Sorry, but that was just too easy." He said, as the door came open, and Master Jiraiya walked out, "What's the verdict, Master?"

Jiraiya sighed, and crossed his arms, "It wasn't an easy decision, but in the end, we voted that you would accompany these two back to their temple, and meet with Grand Master Yoda as a representative of our people."

Naruto grinned feraly, "That suites me just fine," he grinned, "When do we leave."

"Tonight, you will rest, and allow the Jedi to recover," Jiraiya said, "And at first light, you will depart."

* * *

 _ **And so, the Jedi Order will meet with the Order of Imperial Knights. And the Knight to meet them is none other than Naruto himself.**_

 _ **Don't forget to review!**_


	3. Chapter 3: The Long Good-Bye

_**Thanks to all those that reviewed!**_

 _ **DBlade59: Not to worry, because being on the border between light and dark, the Greys do have powers from both sides.**_

 _ **Blaze1992: I don't know how much sadder it could have gotten than that, really.**_

 _ **Sixsamchaos: Their effect on the Jedi themselves will be gradual, though Naruto will raise the proverbial roof.**_

 _ **Leaf Ranger: Always nice to hear from you. And yes, it is tragic about Hinata, but I needed a trigger for Naruto to want Dooku and Grievous' heads.**_

 _ **BiGTsOLaS: Naruto can't remain in his 'Grey' area all the time. He's still there, but pain and anger can bury someone so deeply that it can often change them forever.**_

 _ **3: The Long Good-bye**_

* * *

Naruto frowned as he dressed himself that morning. His attire was not that of a Jedi nor that of an Imperial Knight. He wore burnt orange leggings, and knee-high brown boots. Belted around his waist was a utility belt with a blaster at his right hip as well as his lightsaber on his left. His top was nothing more than an old Zabrak armored shirt. It wouldn't save him from a lightsaber, but at least it was blaster proof. He finished his look with a hooded cloak across his shoulders.

Now all that was left to do was to wake up his guests.

His home lay outside the village, high within the gigantic oak trees surrounding the village. It was the home he had built with his own hands after he had become a Knight two years ago. In the beginning, he had wanted a large home, so that his family would have enough room to grow. Now it seemed as though he had too much space. Many rooms of his beautiful home now had a layer of dust covering everything.

As he moved through his home, he heard the sound of voice. ' _Ahsoka,_ ' he thought with a slight smile when he heard the girl's voice. ' _She's a little hellion if ever I saw one._ ' It was obvious that she was arguing with her master, and the thought brought a more pronounced smile to his lips. His own apprentices had been a handful while he had been training them.

He entered the main room to find exactly what he thought he would. Ahsoka was arguing with Anakin quite angrily. "You could've just shaken me, you didn't have to dump me on the floor!"

"I did shake you, but you still wouldn't wake up," Anakin said calmly, his arms crossed, "All you did was role back over and go right back to sleep."

"We've been sleeping on the floor for the past three days," Ahsoka complained, "You can't tell me sleeping on a real bed wasn't a nice change, and it was a hell of a lot more comfortable than those bunks on the starships in the fleet!"

Naruto nearly laughed at the exchange, letting a small chuckle escape him, "You two sure don't get along, do you?" He asked as he entered the room with Ahsoka huffily crossing her arms and turning away from the man.

"Not when he dumps me on the floor out of a nice soft, warm bed," she huffed, looking at her master from the corner of her eye, "That's no way for you to treat a lady, you know?"

"Lady?" Anakin asked, looking about the room, "I don't see a lady, nor did I see one in your room, just an undersized moof, snoring like a bantha."

In a very mature display, Ahsoka stuck her tongue out at him. Laughter bounced off of the walls of the home. Ahsoka was so startled by the sound that she thought it had been Anakin at first, but the young Togruta found that there host had thrown his head back in laughter. His serious facade broken.

Naruto calmed down after a moment, wiping a stray tear from his eye, "You two are something else," he commented, smiling away at the girl, "Just like a couple of cadets I helped train not so long ago." He said, and reached out to pat Ahsoka on the head between her montrals, making the girl blush profusely. The montrals of a Togruta were sensitive, but also considered a very intimate point of contact. Whether the blond knew that or not was the question.

Apparently he knew something of Togruta, because, not a moment later, he flicked her left montral, making the hollow organ overload her senses. "Aie!" Ahsoka ducked out of his reach, "Don't do that!"

The blond just gave her a crooked grin, "Sorry, sorry, I forgot those horns were sensitive," he said, almost making her heart melt.

Ahsoka shook herself, clearing such thoughts from her mind, "They're not horns, they're called montrals!" She snapped, "And of course they're sensitive, they're hollow!"

"That explains why you take so long to learn things," Anakin pipped up, unable to resist a small jibe.

"Oh, shut up!" Ahsoka snapped, "Are we leaving or what?!"

Naruto let out one last chuckled before relenting, "Yeah, we should get going before it gets too light outside." He didn't want to be around for everyone to fuss over before he left. As the two men left the room with Ahsoka trailing behind them, fuming, the girl again felt a treacherous fluttering in her chest.

Really, what was it about the Kawloonian male that made her react in such a manner. It was simply not done as a rule of the Jedi to feel as she was beginning. Of course, he was handsome, and seemed kind, even though he could also appear cold. But she relented that the man could appear warm, and caring as well, given his sense of humor at times. Though she wished most of his jokes weren't aimed at her, specifically. All of her thoughts were brought to a screeching halt by the incredibly cold morning air as she stepped outside.

Ahsoka, he noticed, shivered in the morning air as they descended to the ground. Really the girl barely had anything on as it was. Most clothing she wore were those white leggings and leather skirt. Thankfully, she wore boots, instead of going barefoot as most Togruta he had met seemed to favor, but the upper part of her body was only covered by a small wrap around her breasts.

Sighing as the girl came to the ground, he took his cloak from his shoulders, and wrapped it around her shoulders. "Nights and mornings on Kawloon are just above freezing," he warned, "If you don't come prepared, you'll catch a cold before you know what hit you."

Ahsoka accepted the gesture and wrapped the cloak around herself, "Thanks, but what about you?" She asked, looking at his attire, noting that the armor showed off just how refined his body was beneath, "That...that doesn't look very warm."

Naruto thumped his chest plate, "This armor is old, so I've had the repair the cloth," he said, "It's mammoth wool underneath the metal plating."

"Is the blaster really necessary?" Anakin asked, noting the man's sidearm, "You're good enough with a lightsaber that you don't really need additional weapons."

Naruto reached down and took the blaster pistol from its holster, spinning if for a moment before replacing it, "It's better to have something, and not need it, rather than to need it, and not have it." He said before striding forward, "Now let's go before the village wakes up. I don't need a bunch of cadets sending us off with well wishes."

The two Jedi followed the tall Imperial to a clearing near to his home. Unfortunately for Naruto, the quiet departure he had wanted would not come about. Waiting for him were Master Jiraiya, the young black-haired individual from yesterday as well as the young woman he had been with, and two younglings.

Jiraiya pushed off the tree he was leaning on, and smiled, "Did you really think we'd let you leave without saying good-bye, brat?" He asked, stepping forward to envelope the boy in a hug. "You be safe out there, my young one."

Naruto nodded, returning the embrace, "Aren't I always?"

Jiraiya pulled away from him, chuckling, "No, you aren't," he said, smiling, "Which is why I'm sending young Konohamaru with you," he said, gesturing to the young boy standing behind him, "He's a fine cadet, and ready to be taken back under your wing. The Jedi will also benefit from seeing how we teach our younglings."

Naruto sighed, but bowed in understanding, "As you wish, my Master." He said, looking from the elder to the boy, "It's good to have you back, Konohamaru."

"I'll make you proud of me, Master Naruto," the boy grinned broadly.

Naruto chuckled and ruffled the boy's hair, "Just keep calling me 'big brother', you know I hate titles." He said, sighing, looking at the his two other friends. "Sakura, if you get any bigger, I'd be guessing at triplets."

Instead of being upset, the pink-haired woman just smiled and hugged him tightly around the neck, and kissed his cheek, "You would say something like that when this little one is already turning flips," she said, pulling back to look at him, "You must promise me that you'll be back in time for the birthing."

Naruto scratched the back of his head, "I'm going into a war zone, Sakura," Naruto said, shaking his head, "I don't know if - "

"He'll be back," Ahsoka stepped forward, smiling at the woman as Naruto gave her a small scowl. "I'll make sure of it."

Sakura smiled at her, "Thank you for that," she said, and moved to embrace a very surprised Togruta, "Look after him for me, Padawan Tano."

Ahsoka nodded somewhat stiffly from the contact as the woman stepped back, a hand on her growing stomach. "I'll do my best."

Sakura nodded, and turned back to Naruto, "We took the time to pack a few things for your trip," she informed him, "We also packed a few sets of clothes for the two Jedi, seeing as the young one is wearing your cloak." She said, smiling again at the girl in question as she tucked the cloak closer to her body, "We also packed a few meals into the refrigeration system. We've also made a gift of fine silks to the Jedi Temple as a show of good faith - "

Naruto chuckled, "Are you trying to win them over with food and fine clothes, Sakura?"

"Every little bit helps," she huffed, and hugged him again, "Come back to us safely, you big oaf."

The man with dark hair laughed, "Should I be jealous, Sakura," he asked as he came up and placed a hand on her shoulder as she released the blond, "Or should I worry about Naruto stealing you from me."

"What, and suffer from blunt force trauma like you do when one of her mood swings hit?" Naruto asked, knocking the man in the shoulder with a gentle tap, "You take care, Sasuke."

"Idiot," Sasuke retorted, "That's my line."

The two Jedi stood and watched as the last of the people present stepped forward. It was a little girl, not thirteen or fourteen years of age. She had pale skin, and dark hair. Her eyes were just as pale, with a hint of lavender in them. At first, Ahsoka thought the girl was blind. But she unerringly came up to the blond, a small, sad smile on her face.

"Hanabi," Naruto greeted her solemnly.

"Hello, big brother," the girl smiled with a nod of her head. From her robes, she produced a familiar object, "Father and I talked it over after we heard you would be away for a while, and thought that you should have this."

Anakin and Ahsoka peeked around his shoulders to get a better look, and saw the hilt of a lightsaber in her outstretched hands. Naruto picked up from her grasp, igniting the blade. The blade was a beautiful lavender in color, with just a hint of pink around the edges.

Naruto's hands trembled, "Your sister's lightsaber," he said thickly, looking at the girl, "Hanabi...I can't take this."

Hanabi shook her head, "Please take it with you," she pleaded, "that way you'll always know that you have a family left here on this world, whether we are blood or not."

Naruto bit his lip, and placed the saber at his hip, "Thank you, little sister."

Hanabi smiled and encircled him with her arms, holding him as tightly as her smaller frame would allow. "We're with you, Brother." She mumbled tearfully. Smiling, Naruto stepped back.

Naruto patted her back, "I'll see you soon, Hanabi." He said, and proceeded passed them.

Ahsoka and Anakin followed after him at a slower pace. Hanabi looked at the pair of them pleadingly, "Take care of him for me? Please?"

Anakin nodded this time, "We'll make sure that he comes back safely," the young Knight said. The girl nodded, turning her attention to Konohamaru, and kissed him on the cheek before they left.

Ahsoka caught up to her master, "I wonder if this is standard for someone taking leave?" She asked, gesturing to the group.

"Not sure," the man said, also a little stunned by the send off they were receiving, "But if it's not, then this guy is extremely well-respected."

Konohamaru and the two Jedi came to the clearing where Naruto was doing some external checks on an _Allanar N3 frieghter_. "How did you get your hands on one of these?" Anakin asked, "And why is it painted orange?"

Indeed, the freighter was painted bright orange, and striped in black. Naruto took a moment, scrubbing his face with his arm, but Ahsoka could easily tell that he had been in tears only moments earlier. "What's wrong with orange?" Naruto asked, managing to sound intimidating as he placed his fists on his hips in agitation.

"Nothing, it's just...an unusual color for a freighter, that's all," Anakin floundered slightly, "B-but still, how in the known galaxies did you get one? And in such great shape!"

Naruto looked at him for a moment, then patted the ship, "My father took it in a raid ten years ago." He said, smiling fondly, "He gave to me when I came of age, and I've been maintaining it since then."

"That white-haired man?" Ahsoka asked, recalling how familiar the two had been.

But Naruto only shook his head, "My parents were caught in a skirmish between the Republic and the Separatist armies," he said, "Now, no more questions, we have a bunch of stick-up-the-ass Jedi to talk to, don't we?"

"Hey!"

"I resent that!" Ahsoka huffed, "I'm a lot less serious than he is!"

Anakin frowned and followed the man onto the ship, "Gee, thanks, Snips, thanks a lot."

=x=

Hyper space travel would take them a single day while using the Corellian Run trade route. Naruto estimated that he could cut that time in half if he really gunned all three engines. Beside him, Anakin sat in the co-pilot's seat, checking the systems. Ahsoka and Konohamaru were in the cargo hold, checking over the supplies, and possibly finding some place to take a quick nap.

"Can I ask you something?" Anakin spoke up, a frown marring his face.

Naruto sighed, giving the young Knight a look, "You want to know what it was like to not hide the love I have for my wife," he said, giving the man a smirk at being found out, "Right?"

Anakin looked down in defeat, "So you knew?" He asked, leaning back in his seat, "How long?"

Naruto chuckled, "I know the look of a man happily married," he said, smiling, "Tell me what she's like, this woman that attracted the affections of a Jedi."

"Only if you'll tell me about the one you seem to have lost?" Anakin suggested.

Naruto frowned at that, but in turn he smiled, "Fair enough, but you first."

Anakin chuckled in turn, "Well, what can I say...we've known each other since were young." He admitted, "When I first became a Padawan, I spent ten years away from her, but when I saw her again, I just couldn't keep my feelings at bay. She and I married in secret not long after that." He said, smiling in thought, "She's brave, and headstrong, but damned if she can't take care of herself in a pinch. And she has the most beautiful eyes..."

Naruto nodded in understanding, "I know that feeling all too well," he said, smiling as he thought back on his life. "I guess it's my turn, eh?"

"If you don't mind?" Anakin said, gesturing for him to go on.

"Well," he began, "As you can guess, she was Hanabi's older sister. She was one of the few humans on the planet that actually had a large family. As cadets, we trained together in the arts of the Force, and the sword," he said, laughing, "God she was shy. So shy that whenever she tried to speak to me, she had this cute little stutter. She was better than me with a sword, but I was better with a blaster. We complimented each other in that aspect. Of course, I didn't know what was going on until much later in my life. It wasn't until my first mission with my folks that I found out what she meant to me."

"What happened?" Anakin asked.

Naruto chuckled, "We had gone out on a routine slave run, but the ship we were targeting was full of Droids." He frowned, "My old man took care of most of them, but a few got passed him and came at me and Hinata. I got two with my blaster, and Hinata took down another one with her saber, but she missed a fourth. Everything fell into place then. If she died, I didn't know what I'd do from that point on. So, I jumped in front of her, and took a blaster shot to the shoulder, but I still took the Droid down."

"And you were together ever since then?" Anakin smiled.

Naruto smiled, "We married two years ago, and let me tell you, I was the happiest man in the village," he said, leaning back in his seat, "I'll never forget the way she looked the day we married. Her hair done up, her lips painted red, and those beautiful lavender eyes of hers shining like the twin moons of Kawloon."

"And then you ran into Count Dooku and General Grievous," Anakin said solemnly, clutching his right arm, "Dooku took my arm in a duel, and nearly killed the woman I would soon call my wife."

"He took so much more from me than that," Naruto said, his fingers tightening around the controls, and looked over at his companion, "So, what are you going to do?"

"What do you mean?" Anakin asked in confusion.

Naruto sighed, "Anakin, your wife is in fact a fertile woman, so, if you love your wife, she will one day conceive." He said, making Anakin stiffen, "Trust me, Anakin, when your wife tells you that you're going to be a father, it will be perhaps the happiest day of your life...but for you, it will be the worst day for your career."

"We've been careful up until now," the young man admitted, "But you're right. Padme adores children and - "

"Hang on," Naruto said, cutting him off, "Did you say 'Padme'? As in senator Amidala?"

Anakin smacked himself in the forehead, "Gah, me and my big mouth," he frowned, "I'd appreciate it if you kept quiet about that."

Naruto shook his head, "No need to worry about it, Anakin," he said, smiling, and gave him a small look, "But Anakin, if you ever feel that the Jedi Order may jeopardize your family, you know that a home awaits you on Kawloon."

The young Jedi Knight seemed surprised, "You would take us in?" He asked, shocked, "Just like that?"

"Our code used to be different," Naruto smiled, "But now as we do with our emotions, we embrace and accept it all. You'd be welcomed by the Imperials."

Anakin smiled, keeping his eyes forward as they neared their destination. "Thank you."

=x=

The capital city of Coruscant was more than what either Naruto, or Konohamaru could have ever expected. Naruto was used to large cities, but the capital was enormous. Konohamaru was stunned at seeing a place so huge compared to their village back home.

Naruto noted that, as they landed, there was a welcoming comity. Clones, if the armor was anything to go on. And a number of Jedi. All of them armed to the teeth.

"Some welcome party, eh, Konohamaru?" Naruto asked of his apprentice as he maneuvered his ship to land, "Anakin, can you make sure these friends of yours don't shoot first and ask questions later?"

Anakin nodded, "Will do," he said as the craft landed, "C'mon, Snips, let's go introduce our friends."

Ahsoka popped up from the cargo bay, wearing a new set of robes. It was a simple red silk jacket that covered her shoulders, but it was an improvement from before. "What d'ya think?"

"Very nice," the blond smiled, giving her a thumbs up, "Much better than the rags we found you in."

Ahsoka flushed with pride and followed after her master, a slight bounce her step.

Naruto then sighed, unbuckling his safety harness, "Well, my young apprentice, shall we go greet our long lost cousins?"

Konohamaru looked out the windows, noting how many blasters there were being held by the Clones, "C-can I borrow a lightsaber?"

"Have I recognized you as a Knight?" Naruto grinned at the boy.

Konohamaru pouted, "No, Big Brother, you haven't."

Naruto chuckled and ruffled the boy's hair, "Just stay behind me. A Jedi wouldn't dare harm a youngling."

"What about Clones?"

"We'll see," he said as he and the young cadet made their way toward the door. The air around them as the exited the freighter was thick with smog. Naruto was used to it after so many missions on different planets, but poor Konohamaru immediately doubled over in a fit of hacking and coughing. "Cadet!" Naruto knelt beside him, and started rubbing his back, "Easy, little one, take it slowly."

"Is he alright?" Ahsoka yelled as she came running back to them, taking up Konohamaru's right, "Does he need a healer?"

Naruto shook his head, "No, he's just unused to such a polluted atmosphere is all." He said, patting the boy on the back, "Come on, little brother, get it all out."

The boy hacked and gasped for breath, "I...I'm alright...sorry..." he wheezed. Ahsoka helped him to his feet, and dusted him off. "Um...thanks, Miss Ahsoka."

"Just Ahsoka is fine," she said, smiling kindly, and noticed the blond flinched, "Master Naruto, are you alright?"

The man shook his head, "Erm, yes, I'm fine," he said, lying, thought the young Padawan hadn't sensed it. The smile she had flashed his apprentice had painfully reminded him of his wife. He stood up, and patted his little brother on the back, "You'll breathe easier as you get used to it, but for now, take slow breaths."

Before the boy could respond, Anakin and a stranger came up to them, "Is everthing alright?" The man asked, "I hope he's not ill."

Naruto stepped in front of the boy protectively, "He's used to a purer atmosphere than this," he said, extending his right arm, "Imperial Knight Naruto Uzumaki."

The man nodded his head, and grasped his outstretched arm with his own, "Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, at your service, Master Uzumaki." He said, noting that the large blond was armed, "You lightsaber is expected, but that blaster is not something we can allow inside the council rooms."

"My Order are all warriors, Master Kenobi, much like the Mandalorians," he said, wincing, "Though, we are a bit more civil that they are."

Konohamaru looked up at him in confusion, "But wasn't your mother half Mandalo-oof!" Naruto wrapped an arm around his neck.

"Oh, my little brother, are you still not feeling well?" Naruto ground out through his teeth, giving the boy a pointed look before turning back to the Jedi Master, "I'm very sorry, but as an Imperial Knight, the health of my apprentice comes first, so can we please move this inside where the air might be cleaner?"

A little taken aback by the sudden action, Kenobi nodded and gestured for them to follow, "Please, then, but you'll still have to leave the blaster."

"Fine," Naruto sighed, and passed the weapon off to a Clone Trooper in blue-marked armor, "Please make sure that finds its way back to me. It was my father's."

"Understood, Sir." He tucked it into his armor.

As they moved, Naruto held the boy up to his shoulders, "Listen, brother, don't allude to anything about our home," Konohamaru looked at him for a moment, "The Masters may believe we can trust these people, but I'd rather not take a chance of them finding our friends and family until I'm sure."

"Sorry, Naruto," the boy nodded.

He was set back on his feet, "Don't worry about it, kiddo, just be careful...and don't do anything you think I'd do, got it?"

"Yeah."

Naruto and his apprentice were led through the halls of the Jedi Temple, and the pair marveled at how foreign it looked to them. Younglings trained in rooms instead of the open air of the forests, while young Padawans spared with actual lightsabers. Naruto frowned at this. Even as a young child, he had trained with a wooden sword in order to know the experience of being hit, but without the dangers of losing a finger. Broken bones could heal and become stronger, but regrowing a limb or a digit was a more time consuming process.

Kenobi led them without err to the council chambers, where three men were seen to be sitting.

"Masters," Kenobi announced, as he, Anakin, and Ahsoka entered the room with the two Greys in tow, "I am pleased to introduce Imperial Knight Naruto Uzumaki, and his young apprentice..." He trailed off, having not caught the boy's name.

"Konohamaru Sarutobi, Masters," the boy gave a polite bow, "Grandson of the current High Imperial Master, Hiruzen Sarutobi."

"Well done, brother," Naruto mouthed at him.

"Friends," Kenobi said, gesturing to the council, "May I introduce Masters Mace Windu," he gestured to a bald, dark-skinned human, cold and serious, "Master Ki-Adi-Mundi," he announced a Cerean Jedi, "And Grand Master Yoda." And finally, a short, green being with long ears whose species he didn't recognize.

Naruto flared out his cloak and went down on his right knee, as did Konohamaru, right arm placed over their knees, while the left arm was extended to the floor in a fist, "We are honored to formally meet you, Masters," Naruto intoned with Konohamaru echoing him as they rose again.

Yoda chuckled, "Ours the honor is in meeting the both of you." He said from his seat, "Traveled far you have to reach this place. Grateful we are for your trust."

"Trust?" Naruto said, frowning, "Trust is earned through meetings and deeds down for one another, expecting nothing in return." Naruto said, shocking both Kenobi and other present Jedi, save for Yoda, who smiled, "I am not gifted with the ability to read minds like some of my comrades, but I know that you asked for friendship for a reason other than meeting another Force-sensitive Order."

"We called you here," Master Windu said, raising from his seat, "To make sure that you and your Order are not a threat to the galaxy as the Sith have been."

Naruto crossed his arms over his chest, "My people, and my planet have remained hidden for more than one hundred years since our fall from what we once were. It's only through your own meddling that I'm standing here at all."

"Please," Master Mundi said, rising as well, stepping between the two, "We did not call you here to ascertain a threat...but Master Yoda did have alternate reasons for calling for your presence."

Naruto remained where he stood, "Then I will listen," he said, "All that I ask is that my people be left alone, and allowed to continue as they have been. All of the slaves we've liberated over the years are happy, and have families of their own now on my homeworld. Yes, most, if not all of us are born Force-sensitive, but not all of us are trained as warriors."

Yoda smiled, and nodded, "Truth in your words I hear, but also present is fear. Fear not for self, but for others." He said, frowning, "Much pain within you I sense, much anger and hatred, too."

"I have lost much," Naruto relented, nodding, "But we are not here to speak of my pain, are we?"

"No," Yoda shook his head, "We are not." He sighed, and settled into his chair, "Long this war has been. Harsh on all it is. Countless lives we have lost. Safe is your home, but how long for?"

"I see where this is going," Naruto nodded, "I cannot, and will not speak for my people, Grand Master Yoda, that is something I will have to leave to them decide. I, as my master once said, travel the unwalked path, and would gladly join in this war if only to find closure, but I have a young apprentice to tend to. While I would fight, I will not place his life in danger unless he truly wished to join me. As it stands, I do not recognize him as a fully trained cadet ready to build his lightsaber."

Yoda smiled in understanding, "Important the life of a young one is," he said, "Train him you must. Force him to fight, we will not."

Naruto uncrossed his arms and let them fall to his side, "You would let me train him here? Among your own Padawans?" He asked incredulously, "Aren't you worried I would try to sway you to my Order's way of thinking?"

"Perhaps swayed they will be," Yoda said, nodding, "But strong are our beliefs. Waver we will not."

The blond nodded, "As long as this boy is safe, and you leave my people be, then you have my blade."

* * *

 _ **Naruto's journey to Coruscant takes a turn, but will he ascend, or will it be his descent?**_

 _ **Don't forget to review, please!**_


	4. Chapter 4: Malastare: The Bomb Run

_**Thanks to all that Reviewed!**_

 _ **TheBobRossArmy: Building a relationship with Anakin was a given considering his dark turn from his fear for his wife. If Lucas had introduced the Greys in the original movies though, there wouldn't be such a great series.**_

 _ **BiGTsOLaS: No, I haven't seen that movie, yet, so I don't know the quote. But to answer your question, Naruto, as a cadet, was better at using a blaster, but as he is now, he's skilled with both equally.**_

 _ **Owen Prior: Ahsoka is 16, and Naruto is 17.**_

 _ **Guest: Naruto will indeed feel the pull of the Dark Side, but Balance will also call him back.**_

 _ **4: Malastare**_

 _ **The Bomb Run**_

* * *

At the crack of dawn, both master and apprentice rose. As tiring as the journey had been, neither of the Imperials had been able to sleep all that well considering the noise of the gigantic city, and the fact that poor Konohamaru was still suffering from the effects the atmosphere was having on his lungs. Though winded by his ailment, the young cadet was not adverse to working it out of his system.

Naruto was not surprised to see that many Jedi were already up and moving about as he and his apprentice moved out into the open air of the roof. In the young Knights hands he held two wooden swords brought with him on his ship. "Are you ready, little brother?" Naruto asked as he drew a large sparring circle around them.

The boy took a deep breath, trying to keep himself from coughing, "Yeah, I'm ready." The boy said, catching one of the wooden blades as Naruto tossed it to him.

Naruto nodded and took a ready stance, the sword held horizontally beside his head, directed at the boy. "We'll keep it easy, but you need to try to push yourself, or else you'll never get used to this atmosphere." He smiled, "At the ready."

Konohamaru mirrored the stance, and both began to circle each other. As the two began their training, it attracted the attention of the passing Jedi and many Padawans.

Such strange movement these newcomers used. Knowing that the first one to move would be the first to strike. The blond towered over the the younger boy, but the youngster was the first to move. With a yell he lept at his mentor, the blade rising above his head in and overhead strike, easily blocked by the minimal movement of his master's sword.

Konohamaru then came at him with a horizontal slash, again blocked by the wooden blade of his master. Naruto then went on the offensive. Quick movements and a block from his sword placed him behind his apprentice, and whopped him on the shoulder. Not enough the cripple him, but enough to know that round was lost.

"Again." Naruto intoned, stepping back into place, "Remember, Konohamaru, it's not always enough to overpower you opponent."

"Yes, Master," he said, already breathing hard. A fact that Naruto did not fail to notice.

Naruto sighed and placed the wooden sword in his belt, "Let's have a rest, Konohamaru," he said, kindly, moving out of the circle. Though disgruntled, the boy followed as Naruto took a seat on the roof, reaching for a thermos, and pouring them a drink, "Here, it's meiloorun juice," he said, passing the boy a cup.

"Thanks," the boy said, drinking deeply, "I'm sorry. I know I need to push myself, but the air here - "

Naruto knocked him in the shoulder, "None of that," he said, smiling at the boy, "I'm going to train you, but not at the cost of your health," he said, taking a drink for himself, "We'll just have to take it slower than usual. We'll focus on combat training after you've adjusted to the atmosphere a little better, so in the mean time, I'll train you to use the Force better."

"You start your training rather early, Master Uzumaki," said a soft, smokey voice, and the man looked behind him to see a young Twi'lek woman in leather clothing.

Naruto nodded his head in greeting, "Our training has always been strict. Up at the crack of dawn, and fall into bed in the evening." He said, remembering his days as a youngling cadet. "But Konohamaru's training will have to be lessened until he feels better." He said, and rose, "I don't believe I've had the pleasure?"

"Aayla Secura," she said, with a slight bow in return, "I don't mean to interrupt, but I was curious as to how your people train your Padawans."

"Cadets," Naruto corrected lightly, "It's probably not so different than how you do things, but I prefer not to use lightsabers until I know he doesn't have a chance of hurting himself against me while training. And we prefer to do all of our training out in the open."

"So I see," Aayla said thoughtfully, "How do you intend to train him in the Force?"

Naruto smiled, and looked at his apprentice, "Feel up to the next lesson?"

"Yes, Master," Konohamaru beamed.

"Call me 'master' one more time, and I'll feed you to a bantha," Naruto threatened halfheartedly.

The pair moved to the center of the circle once again where Konohamaru was sat down. "Alright, Konohamaru, I want to see how you use the Force," he said, and stepped to the outer edges of the circle, and held up his wooden sword, "Concentrate on my sword, and bring it to your hands."

Aayla watched for a moment as the boy closed his eyes and reached out his hand. The wooden blade was still, but began to wobble in his grasp. One end of the sword lifted up while the tip fell from Naruto's hand and dragged the ground as it was pulled back to Konohamaru's hand.

As the blade came to rest in his grasp, Naruto nodded, "Not quite there, yet, but you're doing really good, brother."

"How did you manage it?" Aayla asked, smiling kindly at the youngling.

Konohamaru shrugged as he rose to return the blade to his master, but Naruto held up his hand to stop him, "I just imagined that my hand was stretching out and grasping the hilt, and brought it back to me."

Naruto smiled and nodded, "A good start, but there's a better way of doing so," he said, holding up his hand, "Dragging it on the ground as you did would alert anyone listening to where you are." He said, "The Force, as you have been taught, is not only a flow of energy around us, but a flow within all things. It's all around us, my young cadet, and therefore, you can use it to strengthen your grip on whatever you're trying to move." The sword then lifted up from the boy's grasp, and floated easily back to its owner's outstretched hand.

"But it's really hard to control," Konohamaru frowned, crossing his arms.

"Don't try to control it," the blond said with a shake of his head, "Guide it. Let it flow over you like the rivers of Kawloon." He said, and held the woodne blade up again, "Alright, try it again, brother."

As he did, the young cadet found it slightly easier to feel and guide the Force rather than try to control it. Naruto smiled as the wooden shaft rose from his hands and drifted without wavering toward his cadet.

Naruto crossed his arms as Konohamaru took hold of the blade, "Well, done."

"Well done, indeed," Aayla said, smiling.

Konohamaru grinned, though he looked strained, "Thanks, Big Bro!"

Naruto came forward and patted him on the shoulder, "Go get something to eat, we'll continue at midday." He said, and sent the boy scampering. When he was out of earshot, he turned to the Twi'lek, "Did you come here to watch him train, or is something the matter?"

"You are not wrong in either sense," Aayla said, smiling, "We have received word from the Dugs of Malastare. A Droid army has been steadily marching on their fuel refinery, and halting their production." She said, becoming serious, "The Dugs are asking for our help, and in return, they will sign a treaty with us, giving our fleets much needed fuel."

Naruto crossed his arms, "And where do I fit in?" He asked.

Aayla sighed, "Through Grand Master Yoda's request, we would like you to travel to Malastare, and aid in the battle. We are working on a weapon that is supposedly capable of disabling Droids, but we still need time to complete it."

"And you want me to stall them, right?" Naruto sighed, "I'm going to be honest with you, Master Secura, the only reason I offered my blade is so that I could catch up with a certain Droid general."

Aayla gave him a look, "Revenge, Master Uzumaki, is merely a confession of pain." She said, but the blond remained as he was, "But, as large as this force is reported to be, perhaps General Grievous will also be present."

"Baiting me, now, are we?" Naruto smirked.

Aayla shrugged, "No, not at all, Master Uzumaki," she smiled, "I'm merely saying that the object of your...obsession may be on Malastare."

Naruto gave a roll of his eyes, "Where I'm from, that's called dangling a carrot in front of a horse," he said, smiling at her, "Lucky for you, I just happen to have an appetite, but I do have one condition."

"And that is?" Aayla asked warily.

"My cadet stays here, while I enlist the help of Anakin Skywalker, and his Padawan."

=x=

The Endurance was a magnificent ship, in Naruto's opinion. Much cleaner than any ship he had had the pleasure of boarding, add to the fact that he did so without having to sneak on board, and it was just perfect. As he landed his little freighter in the holding area, Naruto noted that several Clones were buzzing about. Y-Wing bomber, and A-Wing Fighers were all in attendance, and Naruto had to give an appreciative whistle.

He had been on the receiving end on some of those laser canons, and he had to admit that they were good, just not good enough to catch him when he was hellbent in his run.

When Anakin and Ahsoka heard that they had been called into service, there had been mixed reactions. Anakin, in an aside to the Imperial, had admitted to looking forward to a night with his wife, and was well and truly hacked off when Naruto had asked for his help, and Yoda had agreed to it. Ahsoka, however, was eager to please. The young Padawan had nearly bowled both of them over to board his ship in her eagerness.

Naruto smiled at the girl as she bounded out of the ship, "She's a real handful, isn't she?" He asked of Anakin, smiling as the man frowned at him. "What?"

"She's trying to impress her new hero," he grumbled, unstrapping himself from his harness, "Really, you've got your own apprentice to worry about, so stop trying to steal mine, alright?"

Naruto chuckled slightly, "Sheesh, you'd think that you got interrupted while you were going for third, Anakin!"

Anakin stiffened, "Very funny."

Naruto took in his posture, and frowned, "Oh, jeez, Ani, I didn't think - "

"You weren't supposed to," Anakin relented in a sigh, "Jedi aren't supposed to form attachments, remember?"

Naruto nodded as he followed the older man out, "Anakin, don't be afraid of your emotions." He said, taking the man by the shoulder, "Don't be ruled by them either, though. If you control your emotions as you guide the Force, you'll be stronger than you know." He said, and smiled at him, "When I thought of my wife, I could do things I never thought possible."

"Such as?" Anakin asked.

Naruto smirked, "Ah, not yet, my senior," he said, dangling the tempting carrot under his friend's nose, "I wouldn't want to frighten you."

"Fright me?" The Jedi smiled, "Try facing down an entire Droid army as a ten year old."

The blond chuckled and threw up his hood as they disembarked. In doing so, Naruto noticed another type of ship that no one was tending to. It was undoubtedly a starfighter, well over twelve and a half meters long, with a near twenty meter wingspan. "Anakin, that ship," he said, gesturing toward the fighter, "What is it?"

Anakin looked to where he was looking and smiled, "That's a little something they whipped up in Subpro," he said, taking a step over to the fighter, "It's called an ARC-170 starfighter, takes three people to work it, though. Pilot, co-pilot, and a tail gunner. I hear they're working on a smaller version that should be out for use in a few months, and heaven help the Separatist when we get them. But the ARC is one hell of a ship. Good bombing speed, fire power, perfect for heavy fighting."

Naruto smiled, "Much as I love my model N3, I wouldn't mind having one of those babies."

As they spoke a Clone captain stepped forward, "General Skywalker, General Uzumaki, Admiral Kilian is waiting for you on the bridge."

Anakin nodded, "Thanks, Rex, we'll be up there shortly."

"Captain," Naruto said, "Can the armory spare one of those DC-15 Blaster rifles?"

Rex chuckled, and nodded, "I think we might just have a spare."

Naruto grinned and patted the Clone on the shoulder, "I think you and I are going to be good friends," but the grin on the blond's face made Captain Rex feel slightly uncomfortable.

"I've got a bad feeling about this."

Meanwhile, while the Endurance was getting under way, a crate wobbled and popped open on Naruto's freighter. Unknown to the blond, a certain apprentice of his had stowed away upon hearing that he was to stay behind. Not one to miss out on any action, Konohamaru Sarutobi grinned as he saw that the coast was clear. "Now, Naruto will have to let me help," he muttered quietly as he crawled out of the crate and snuck into the docking bay.

The area was crawling with troopers, and the young cadet had to scuttle under the freighter to keep himself from being seen. He made a dash from storage bay to storage bay until he had made it all the way to the hallway.

' _Right_ ,' he thought to himself, ' _Now I just need to walk right on through like I own the place and find a place to hide until we get to -_ ' He turned down that hall, and bumbled right into a pair of troopers. "Uh, oops?"

"What the hell are you doing here, kid?"

To this, Konohamaru had no answer.

=x=

Naruto was looking over the hologram images of the battle that was currently taking place on Malastare. For the moment, Republic forces were holding their own against the Droids, but it wouldn't be long until they were overwhelmed. They were fighting on open ground, with little cover, and many were already falling to blaster fire.

"Don't your forces have anything to use as blast shields?" The blond asked, wincing as a trooper was brought down by a crab droid. "They're sitting ducks down there!"

"No, Sir, the troops are on their own as far cover goes," Captain Rex sighed, "This is one of the worst battles that's happened. Those stupid clankers never get tired."

"But they do run out of power," Anakin said, "But the problem is the Dugs are running out of men, and so are our forces."

"We're running short on food and power packs for our weapons," Admiral Kilian said, "If we don't get there in time, most of our troops on the ground will be overtaken, and the blockade will soon force our fleet into a full retreat."

Naruto nodded and crossed his arms, "So first thing's first," he said, frowning, "We need to get past their spacial blockade, and get down to that planet."

"Easier said than done, General," Rex sighed. "General Grievous has some tough machines running those frigates."

Naruto stood thinking for a moment, "Well, what would you say to letting me take that ARC-170 out on a decoy run?" He asked, making the Admiral and Jedi look at him, "But I'd need a co-pilot and an tail gunner as Master Skywalker said."

"Naruto," Ahsoka stepped forward, placing a hand on his elbow, "It's way too dangerous for one ship to make a run like that."

Naruto gave the girl a small smile and took the hand on his arm in his own, "We're spread too thin for a full on dog fight, Snips," he said, smiling as a pretty blush came to her cheeks, "And the troopers and fighters we have are going to be need for the assist on Malastare."

Anakin smirked at the pair. ' _And he says not to let my emotions control m_ e,' he thought with a chuckle, "Ahem, if you two are done gazing into each others' eyes?" He said, smiling as Ahsoka hastily withdrew her hand. "We do have a battle to plan out."

Naruto huffed and recrossed his arms, "My plan is as sound as we can manage," he said, looking around at them, "You know I'm right. One fighter can make the difference in a battle, and from what I can tell, the ARC-170 is fast, and durable enough to take more than a few hits. Just get me someone that's a damned good shot from a tail gun, and a co-pilot that knows his way around a fighter."

"Then let me be you co-pilot," Ahsoka volunteered, smiling slightly dispite the blush still present on her face, "Master Anakin is the best pilot we have, but I've been his co-pilot ever since he took me on."

Naruto looked at the Jedi Knight. "Anakin?"

"Take her," the man smiled, "She'd probably just stowaway in the fighter anyway."

The doors to the bridge slid open, "Speaking of stowaways," a pair of troopers said, as they entered the bridge, a squirming Konohamaru held between them, "We found this one trying to sneak around."

Naruto turned to the boy, and even overshadowed by the hood as his face was, the boy could tell that he was in big trouble. He took the hood away, and Ahsoka caught sight of the look on his face. "Oh..." She could already feel her montrals aching from the blasting that was about to come, and she was not wrong.

"KO-NO-HA-MA-RU SA-RU-TO-BI!"

The ringing throughout poor Ahsoka's head would haunt her for quite some time to come. The fury in Naruto's voice was also noted to have been heard through out the ship, and mistaken for the enraged roar of a wild animal. But it would always be remembered as the angered voice of an Imperial Knight admonishing his very young, and very foolish apprentice.

=x=

Naruto gripped the controls of his newly acquired fighter, "At least she's not much different than most freighters I've piloted," he mumbled crossly as Ahsoka sat beside him, "Hey, Sketch, you alright back there?" He called back to the Clone trooper assigned as his tail gunner.

"Ready to fry some clankers, Sir!" Sketch called back.

Naruto smiled, "I like this guy, if he's as good as Rex says, I might ask to keep him around." He smirked, and looked to the young Togruta, "You sure this is what you wanna do, Snips?" He asked, causing her to pout, "Last chance to back out."

Ahsoka crossed her arms, and frowned, "Hey, I can handle anything you put this bird through," she assured him cockily, "Even if this whole thing is a suicide run."

Naruto grinned at her, "It's not suicide if we come back from this run," he said, opening up the communications link, "Endurance, this is Orange Leader, we're ready to start our run."

" _Copy that, Orange Leader,_ " Anakin's image came up from the hologram, " _As soon as you make a path for us, we'll have our fighters make a run for the planet._ "

Naruto nodded, "You got it, Ani, and don't you worry, we'll keep those bolt-brains busy for as long as we can." He said, and sighed, "And Ani?" He said, looking at the man with a frown, "Take care of my apprentice down there, will you?"

Anakin nodded, " _I'll look after him, Naruto, don't you worry,_ " he said, smiling a little bit, " _And you look after my Padawan._ "

"She's in good hands," Naruto said, looking at the girl in question, who smiled in return, "Right, Ahsoka?"

"Right," she said, smiling.

Naruto started up the fighter, "Here we go." They lifted off the platform, turning toward the shield gates, "Orange Bomber, taking off."

" _You, my friend, have a very unhealthy obsession with that color,_ " Anakin smiled jokingly, " _May the Force be with you._ "

The designated Orange Bomber took off into space. The figher spiraled up and over the Endurance, and made a beeline toward the enemy frigates. "Raise the shields, Snips," Naruto ordered, "Sketch, ready on those guns."

"Raising shields," Ahsoka echoed.

"Primed and ready, Sir!" Sketch yelled.

Naruto nodded, "Okay, Ahsoka, I'll take the main guns," he said, "I want you on those torpedoes. If we can get close enough, I want you to take out their engines."

In front of them, the frigates had spotted them, and were sending out vulture droids to intercept them.

"Okay."

The vultures were nearing them, "Alright, then, bomb run, starting," he grinned, showing off four very sharp looking canines, "Let's go wild." He pressed down on the triggers.

The vultures returned fire immediately. Naruto had to role right through them, and headed right toward the frigates, "Sketch, strap in, and keep those birds off of us, we're going right for the frigates!" He roared, "Ahsoka, tighten you straps, it's gonna get hairy!"

"Yeah, yeah, just watch your flying, blondie!" Ahsoka yelped as a droid barreled right paste them. "Aren't you supposed to be shooting these guys down?"

"Working on it!"

The Bomber plowed right through their ranks, and managed to keep ahead of the vulture droids, if only just barely. The frigate turned their guns on them, and laser fire bounced off of their shields, "Sketch, how're we doing back there?"

"Lousy!" Sketch yelled, "There's way too many of them for just one tail gun!"

Naruto frowned and noticed that the main canons were turning toward them, "Alright, here in about ten seconds, hold on to something!"

"Like what?!"

"Your lunch!"

Ahsoka saw the canons, "Ah, poodo, please tell me you're not - "

"YEEHAW!" The canons fired, and the fighter looped right over the beams with the droids right behind them. Aside from the crazed blond, the other passengers were thankful to be strapped in. The majority of the droids were destroyed, but those that weren't were closing. "Sketch, get those birds off our tails!"

"Working on it, ya crazy, S.O.B!"

Naruto nearly laughed, "Alright, time to punch a hole," he said, gunning the engines, "Ahsoka, get ready for the torpedo run!"

"Ready!"

=x=

"He's making the run!" Anakin yelled, "All men, to your stations, release drop ships in thirty seconds!"

=x=

"Here we go!" Naruto took the ship over the engines, making a tight u-turn, "Ahoska!"

"Firing torpedoes," Ahsoka confirmed as she locked onto the engines, and pressed down, "Two away!"

"Clankers in coming!" Sketch yelled, "We're about to lose the shields!"

An explosion rocked the space around them as they sped past the engines. "Alright, divert what power we have left to the thrusters," he said, "We're gonna have to make this a fast run."

Ahsoka frowned, "You said this wasn't a suicide run?"

Naruto smiled at her again, "We haven't made it back, yet, right?"

The young Togruto swallowed thickly, and reached over for his hand, "Not yet." She said, as he gripped her hand reassuringly, "We will, right?"

Naruto nodded, "You bet your pretty eyes we will." He shouted back, "Sketch, get ready to shoot for your life!"

"Ready, Sir." The Clone said solemnly.

"Ahsoka, drop shields and divert power to the thrusters." He said, angling his fighter, "We need to take out at least one more ship to make the run a success."

Ahsoka did as she was told, and pressed the right sequence of buttons, "Shields down, Master Uzumaki."

"Ready on the torpedoes, then, Padawan Ahsoka." Naruto gunned the engines to max, and the fighter shot forward, his target in his sights, "Target their rear thrusters, and engines. I'll take out any droids we pick up."

"Good," she frowned, pointed out the windows, "Cause here they come."

Naruto picked out his first targets, shooting them down as fast as he could get them into his sights, with Sketch taking out any stragglers that got on their tails. He took the fighter in loops and rolls through the ranks of droids. They were lucky thus far that they hadn't picked up any buzz droids.

"I've got the thrusters in my sights," Ahsoka said, looking at him, "Should I take the shot?"

Naruto frowned, "Let's get a bit closer."

His alarms went off as the fighter shook violently, "Sketch, what's going on back there!?"

"Lost and engine, Sir!" The Clone yelled, "Bastards blind sided us!"

"Alright, get out of the gunner's seat, and prep the life pods!" Naruto called back, looking at his co-pilot, "Ahsoka, take the shot!"

"I can't, I don't have a clear shot!"

Naruto growled, "Hang on, Sketch!" He took the ship up, and turned them upside down, angling them toward the frigate, "Snips!"

"Got it!" She took her shot, loosing two torpedoes. The frigate was attempting to move out of the way, but the torpedoes made it just in the nick of time. The frigate began to go down.

Naruto grabbed a communications link, "Anakin, mission accomplished, repeat, mission accomplished, get your asses moving now!" The fighter lurched, and nearly threw him from his chair. "Time to go!" He growled, and unstrapped, "Ahsoka, get to the pod!"

"With pleasure!" She lept from her seat and followed after him into the bay area, "Sketch, are we ready to go?"

The Clone looked up from the pod hatch, "I was ready five minutes ago, where've you lot been?!"

"Just get in there and get moving!" Naruto yelled, and shoved both Clone and Padawan inside, and jumped in behind them, slamming the latch closed.

=x=

Anakin, inside his Y-Wing bomber, saw the ships going down, "That's the all clear, boys, let's get going and make sure we're there to meet our friends on the surface!" He said, looking back in the co-pilot's seat, "Konohamaru, strap in, and hold on tight, this is gonna be rough!"

"Right, General Skywalker," the boy nodded, gripping the gun controls, "What about Big Brother and Miss Ahsoka?"

Anakin checked his sensors, "R-2, can you get them on the comm.?"

His astrodroid chattered at him, and the man smiled, "Seems they've just entered the planet's atmosphere, and they're heading right for out force's base. They're going to be fine!"

* * *

 _ **Naruto enters the fray, and his first mission is one hell of a bomb run!**_

 _ **Don't forget to Review, please!**_


	5. Chapter 5: Malastare: Memories

_**Thanks to all that Reviewed!**_

 _ **Nexus Gundam: Thanks for pointing that out. It's kind of hard to keep up with the tech of each timeline**_

 _ **Leaf Ranger: Sketch will be a frequent character seen alongside Naruto whenever he does something crazy, or remotely death defying.**_

 _ **Blaze1992: Strictly Star Wars blasters, and other technology.**_

 _ **BiGTsOLaS: The first lightsaber duel is coming up pretty quick. Though it won't with Grievous or Dooku just yet.**_

 _ **Author's Note: This will be the last fast chapter for while. I've been on break from work for about a week, but starting 7/10/17 I'll be back on ten to twelve hour shifts. So, as much as I'm loving this story and putting out more chapters, I won't have much time, so bare with me.**_

 _ **5: Malastare**_

 _ **Memories**_

* * *

The landing party for Anakin's fighters touched down without a hitch. The battle below the squadron of Y-Wings appeared to be going well for the Dugs, and the Troopers on their side. Behind him, Konohamaru was plastered against the cockpit in awe of the hail of blaster fire. "Do you think Big Brother's down there?" The boy asked almost fearfully.

Anakin bit his lip, looking down at the battle, and saw no sign of lightsabers flashing on the battlefield, "Doesn't look like it, kiddo," he sighed as he circled around to land, "But I feel that they're still out there. Remember, your master's one hell of a pilot."

The boy nodded, and sat back with a sigh, "I hope you're right, Master Skywalker," he said, and started coughing again, his lungs aching.

Anakin looked back at him as they landed, "You alright, Kono?"

"Kono?" The boy frowned.

Anakin shrugged as they touched down, "Your name's kind of a mouthful," he said, "Sorry if it offends you, though. I'm told I've got a bad habit of giving people nicknames."

"It's okay," the boy said as the hatch popped open, "I kind of -gak!" The moment he took in the air from Malastare's atmosphere, the boy started cough violently, and gasping for breath, "I...I can't breathe!"

"What?!" Anakin jumped out and the boy tried to climb out, "No, stay in the fighter!" He said, pushing him back inside, "R-2, close the hatch, and get the ships air recycling system operational! And get me a medic over here, now!" He turned back to the boy, "Konohamaru, you have to breathe," he said as the boy's breath started becoming shallow, "I know it's hard, but you've got to try!"

The young Kawloonian was growing dangerously pale, a green mucous dripping from his lips, "Ma...master...find...ma...ster..." Anakin began to panic as the boy gurgled out his request, and passed out only seconds later.

"DAMMIT ALL I NEED A MEDIC NOW!"

=x=

"What's wrong with him?" Anakin asked as the medical officer examined the boy, "And what's with that green stuff his hacking up?"

An oxygen mask was attached to his face as Konohamaru took slow, unsteady breathes, his mouth and nose still leaking mucous. The Clone medic sighed, "Bio-scans indicate he's suffering from acute atmosphere sickness. He's slowly suffocating." He said, frowning, "The mucous is forming inside his lungs because his body doesn't know how to process all of the pollution in the air. And the fumes from the refinery aren't helping. If it keeps up like this, his lungs will up, and he'll literally drown in the stuff."

"There any way to stop it?" Captain Rex asked, scowling, "General Naruto trusted us with this boy's life, and now you're telling us he's gonna die?"

The medic frowned, "I don't have the tech here to even think of helping him, and this little biter's body is different compared to an average human." He said, "Physical make up is pretty much the same as anyone else, but his system developed on a planet with little to no pollution, meaning that coming to a place like this is pretty much a death sentence. Pretty much the same as sending a Wookie to the spice mines."

"So what can we do for him?" Anakin asked, "Would a bacta patch help?"

The clone stood in thought, stroking his chin, "It...it might, but this is a natural bodily reaction, whether the patches help is a fifty-fifty chance, but it's worth a shot," he said, and nodded, grinning, "Alright, get as many patches as we can, and cover his chest, and back, exactly where the lungs are. Then we need to flush his lungs out."

"But we don't have the equipment for that," Anakin sighed, "I need to get in touch with Naruto...but dammit he's not been answering the comm.!"

"Keep trying," Rex said, placing a calming hand on his General's shoulder, "We'll do all we can for the kid for now, but we need you to focus on those clankers when they get here. What we've seen so far is just the first wave, and you know it."

Anakin nodded, "I know, Rex, and we'll be ready. But Kono's life is just as important a this battle." He said, crossing his arms, "I trusted Naruto with something, and now he's trusting me with his apprentice. I can't fail him like this."

"You won't," the medic said, and grinned, "But only if you get those patches. Now move it!"

=x=

A beeping noise started to rouse her. It annoyed her, and made her already horrible headache all the more worse. At least she was laying on something soft. It reminded her of the bed she had back on Kawloon. Except that there was something cold and hard under her cheek. Something that was rising and falling steadily.

Her eyes fluttered open, and she found herself staring up at the unconscious face of none other than Naruto Uzumaki. Startled the girl sat up, and saw that she was still in the escape pod, components, and panels hanging down by their wires, and sparking.

"Sketch?" She called out, receiving a groan. "You alright?"

The Clone sat up, and removed his helmet, "Gah, it feels like I just got trampled by a Gundark," the man groaned, rubbing his head, "What happened to the General?"

Ahsoka looked down at the man, and frowned as she saw a large amount of blood coating his hair, "He's unconscious, and has a head wound," she said, reaching for the medical supplies, "See if you can find out where we landed. I'm going to tend his wound, and try to wake him up."

"On it," Sketch rose to his feet, "And if he wakes up, tell 'im he needs to work in his landings."

Ahsoka nodded, smiling if only slightly at the small jibe, but her worry for the blond outweighed everything else. She cleaned him up as well as she could and placed a bacta patch over his wound. "Please be alright," she mumbled moving a stray lock of hair from his face.

He mumbled something under his breath, and leaned into her touch. As her fingers brushed against the skin of his face, Ahsoka saw flashes of memories rushing through his mind. She pulled her hand away, knowing that it wasn't her place to see what his dreams were, but something caught her attention that she couldn't ignore.

A single tear slipping down his cheek.

She reached out hesitantly, and brushed it away, allowing her to see.

 _She found herself standing in a forest of gigantic evergreen and oaken trees. Snow covered the ground, and yet, she saw many people bustling about. From that massive forms of the mammoths, and sleek forms of the saber-toothed cats, she knew that she was on Kawloon. Naruto's homeworld. As she was, she was a ghost to the people around her, a phantom that could not be seen. Only Naruto could see her if he knew she was there._

 _The laughter of children caught her attention, and she turned to find a familiar head of blond hair running alongside a black-haired boy. Even in his childhood, Naruto was easy to recognize. His shaggy blond hair stood out far too much in his planet, diverse as it was in culture. The two boys were throwing snowballs at each other, and laughing madly._

 _A moment later, two little girls came into the clearing, and pelted both boys with snowballs. One was as easy to recognize as Naruto was by her pink hair. The other was a tiny little thing. She had bluish hair, and pale skin, and had lavender colored eyes._

 _She scooped up a snowball and tossed it at the little blond, "Hey, no fair, Hinata!" The blond laughed, and started after her. Ahsoka laughed slightly, realizing that this was the girl whose lightsaber Naruto now carried, and she would have gladly watched more of the memory, but the image began to blur._

 _The dream she entered now was the bowels of a starcruiser. The memory was a vivid one. She could even smell the stench wafting up from the cages of the slave ship. She nearly yelled when a hail of blaster fire passed through her. Four B1 battle droids marched through the halls. In front of her she watched as the same little girl from before, her blue hair slightly longer now, lept from behind a crate, and bounced from wall to wall as she cut down a droid, and two more were hit right in the heads by a blaster bolt._

 _The girl slipped as she attempted to pivot around for a strike, and hit the ground with a yelp. Her lightsaber skittered out of her hand._

 _The droid leveled its blaster at her._

 _"Hinata!" A blond blur lept in front of the girl as the droid fired. The bolt Naruto right in the left shoulder just as he fired off a shot from his own blaster pistol. The droid fell at their feet._

 _Hinata clambered over the downed droids to check his wounds, but the blond only reached out and brought her against his chest. "Vah cart ch'eo vur." Naruto muttered against her hair. The girl, as well as Ahsoka's eyes widened. The words were spoken in Cheunh, but she knew what they meant._

 _"You are my heart." she found herself repeating._

 _She bit her lip as the dream changed once again. This time, she found herself back in the forest. The snow was gone, and the trees were green with life. Many of the trees were in full bloom as flower petals littered the ground. As a Jedi, she was trained not to feel any emotions, but the scene before her would not be something she would soon forget._

 _It was a wedding._

 _She saw her friend, no longer the lanky boy he had been, but the man she knew, if only slightly younger, dressed in handsome robes of fine blue and gold silks, and across from him was the same girl, now a woman, dressed just as finely as her soon-to-be husband. The smile on her face would have been enough to light up an entire galaxy if it were needed._

 _Now, Ahsoka was very tempted to release herself from his memories. Naruto had mentioned in passing that his wife was gone. If he was reliving these memories, then she could figure out what was to come next._

 _And she was right. The happy memory shifted again._

 _She stood on a baren patch of red dirt, and found herself in the middle of battle. Sasuke and Naruto, both holding their lightsabers aloft, one orange, and the other, strangely, black, meeting the red saber of Count Dooku._

 _The Sith Lord proved to be a match for the two, but the two Imperials seemed to be overpowering him. Off to the side, she saw the two familiar women from the previous memories hurriedly loading a freighter._

 _Naruto pushed Dooku back with a Force push, and Sasuke went in to finish him. And then, when she thought Dooku would have been done for, four new lightsabers entered the melee. And they were all wielded by the same monster. General Grievous' laugh as he attacked Sasuke and pushed the stunned Imperial back was sickening._

 _Naruto lept in to aid him, adding his blade to Sasuke's but both were easily overpowered by the monster of Count Dooku. And then a blur raced passed her. Ahsoka forced herself to watch as Hinata placed herself between the monster and her husband. Grievous never even gave her a chance to defend herself. His lightsaber pierced right through her._

 _Naruto's enraged roar cut through everything._

 _Ahsoka watched in awe and horror as Naruto lept back to his feet and, discarding his saber, and lightning lept from his fingers. Dooku and Grievous were thrown back by the Force lightning, stunned, but alive._

 _Naruto scooped up his wife, and made for his freighter._

 _Ahsoka couldn't watch any more of it. She released him._

Coming back to herself, Ahsoka felt extremely cold, especially around her face. She reached up and touched her cheeks, finding them moist. She shook her head and tucked her knees up against her chest, "Naruto...I'm so, so sorry."

"Everything alright back here?" Sketch asked as he came back into the pod, "How's he doing?"

Ahsoka smiled sadly, "He's just resting for now." She said, "Do we know where we are?"

Sketch sighed, and shook his head, "Our landing was way off, Commander Tano," he frowned, leaning against the frame, "We landed ten clicks behind enemy lines. And our communications are off line."

"Can we get them back online?" Naruto's voice drifted up to them tiredly, surprising the young Togruta as he sat up, his hand going to his head. "Wha'd I miss?"

Sketch chuckled, "Hell of a landing, that's what," he said, frowning, "if you didn't already hear, we're - "

"Little over six miles behind the wrong side of the battle," Naruto said, frowning, shaking his head dizzily, "Yeah, we made a bad turn, big time." He stood up, supporting his weight on the walls. "Okay, we need to get moving. I'm worried about Konohamaru."

"I'm worried about everyone, including you," Sketch said, reaching out to duck under his arm, "You Jedi are about as stubborn as they come, though. Worse than any Clone."

Ahsoka moved to take his other side, "He's right, Naruto, you need to rest."

Naruto sighed, and looked at her, "You know that I've had worse," the blond said, making the girl flinch, but Naruto just smiled, "I'm not upset, Ahsoka. You probably didn't even mean to do it."

Ahsoka bit her lip, "Master Uzumaki, I- "

"Sketch," Naruto said, smirking at the clone, "See if you can find us a way to get around the droid army. I'll be fine with Ahsoka."

The Clone Trooper looked at the younger Fore-wielder, and sighed, "Alright, just give a holler if you need anything."

Naruto nodded and the man left them alone. Once gone, he moved away from Ahsoka, and looked her in the eyes, "Is there anything you'd like to say, after seeing all of that?"

Ahsoka hugged her shoulders, looking down shamefully, "I'm truly sorry, Mas- "

"And cut it out with the 'Master' bit," Naruto said kindly, "I was never one for titles."

The girl took a deep breath to calm herself, "Alright, Naruto, then," she said, blushing a bit, "What I want to know is...how did you come back?"

Naruto frowned, "Gotta give me more to go on than that, Snips," he said, crossing his arms, "I've come back from a lot of things, and none of them too easily."

"I mean how did you come back from the Dark Side," she clarified, shivering as she remembered the feel of the lightning through his memories. "When...when your wife died...I felt it...she was so strong in the force, almost as strong as you are now." She said, her voice quivering, "And I felt what you felt...I felt how much you loved her...and your rage and hate...and then you turned to the Dark Side."

Naruto placed his arms around her tightly. She was surprised by the sudden contact, but it was welcomed. She was in turmoil. All of the emotions Naruto had felt in his memories were rolling through her like a typhoon. It was all too much.

"Loosing my wife was the worst time in my life," Naruto said, and stepped back from her, reaching up to wipe a tear from her face that she never knew had fallen. "Yes, for a moment, when I saw her get cut down, I used the Dark Side of the Force, because that is what we are, Ahsoka." He smiled sadly, "We of the Grey Jedi, as I've said before, are on the border of Light and Dark. It gives us some abilities from both sides, but with each skill we take from the Dark, it gets harder and harder for us to resist. In her last moments, Hinata brought me back. All it took was a simple touch, and her words, and I was free again. Sasuke and Sakura never told anyone about me using the Dark Side, and I'm grateful to them for that."

"Can't you stay the way you are without falling?" She asked.

Naruto shook his head, "To do that, I would have to balance out both sides of the Force inside of me," he said, smiling, "To do that would tear me apart. The two sides would be fighting for control of me like an army all of its own." He smiled at her, and stepped back, "I'm not strong enough to do that. No one in my Order is, though many have tried."

"I thought that Grey Jedi were supposed to be the balance between the Light and the Dark?" The young Padawan asked, becoming confused.

Naruto chuckled, "I might just teach you," he said, and tapped her on the nose, making her squeak in surprise, "But not now...sounds like Sketch found us a ride."

Ahsoka looked from the blond and heard a lot of swearing as Sketch came back with two large insectoid animals in tow. "I hope you lot know how to ride bareback!" Sketch snapped, "These flea-brains were hard to catch!"

"Thanks a lot, Sketch," the blond said, stepping up to one of the creatures, and placing a gentle hand on it, "These little guys will make the trek a lot easier."

"Yeah, about that," he said, frowning, "I got a communication line through a little while ago, and it's not good news."

Naruto looked at the man, "What's going on?"

Sketch sighed, crossing his arms, "Your apprentice is down with atmosphere sickness, and from what I heard, it's the worst case I've heard tell of." He said, and the blond became stricken, "They're doing all that they can for him now, but they're not sure if the bacta patches are gonna be enough. They're also trying to clear his lungs of the fluids that he's been coughing up."

Naruto frowned and ran his hands through his hair, "Okay...okay, that's good, they're doing the right things, but that won't stop it." He frowned, "Atmosphere sickness for my people usually has three stages. If you can catch it in the first stage and manage it, then the subject will become accustom to the atmosphere and the sickness will pass, then he or she won't have any other problems."

"Like when Konohamaru started coughing the moment we touched down on Coruscant." Ahsoka sighed, "What's the second stage?"

"Coughing up green mucous," Naruto said, thoroughly frazzled, "If that happens, then he needs to be in a clean environment, clean air, the works...by the Force, and we're on a more polluted planet than Coruscant!" He fell to his knees, "Dammit, this is why I told him to stay behind, he could've gotten used to Coruscant's atmosphere, no problem, but coming here? How could I have been so stupid! Now he's gone straight into stage three! He's dying!"

"What do we do to stop it?" Ahsoka asked fearfully.

Naruto shook his head, "What they're doing now will keep him alive for a little while, but unless he has a healing session involving the Force, he's not going to make it. His lungs will keep flooding until he drowns."

"I'm no good at healing," Ahsoka admitted, "and neither is Anakin."

"I am," Naruto said, and mounted up, "Come on, there's no time to lose!"

"Sketch, you can ride with me," Ahsoka said.

"I think I'd rather walk." The Clone said, frowning, "Riding one of these things isn't on my bucket list."

Naruto's good humor was gone in an instant, "Get on that beast," the young man said, his eyes darkening, "We don't have much time before it's too late for my brother."

Sketch nodded and climbed up behind Ashoka, "Well, let's get going, then."

=x=

"The Separatist drops ships should be coming from the same direct as last time," Anakin said over the hologram of the land, "They'll try to overwhelm us with their numbers, usually with the smaller B1 droids, with larger B2 units in the front lines. Mid lines, and rear lines will have the heavy artillery. Tanks, and destroyer droids."

"We've dealt with them before," Rex said, "the problem is that we don't have a lot of cover. If we had a few trenches, we'd at least be able to duck."

Anakin nodded, "There are some downed gunships around the area," he said thoughtfully, "Can we move a few of them around to provide cover?"

"Just what I was thinking," Rex nodded, "But the Dugs are gonna be going in on those flea-things. They might get in the way."

At this a Dug pounded the table, "My people will do everything they can to defend our refinery," the creature said angrily. "We tried to remain neutral, but Dooku attempted to destroy our refineries, and steal our fuel, and now that you Republic are hear, you say my people will get in the way? Perhaps the treaty you so wish for us to sign is not even worth our time?"

"What Captain Rex meant was that we don't want any unnecessary casualties on our side," Anakin said, trying to placate the Dug, "You're people have already suffered enough, and you asked us for help because of that. The treaty is only so that Count Dooku will suffer greater consequences if he keeps attacking you."

"See to it that he does," the Dug sneered and waddled off.

Anakin frowned, "Slime ball," the man frowned, "Okay, Rex, see if you can get those gunships cut up and moved into position. Any amount of cover could give us the advantage...how's the kid?"

Rex shook his head sadly, "Not doing good, Sir," he said, "he's getting worse and worse every hour he's away from clean air. Putting him in the turrets cockpit may keep him alive for a little while longer, but we're only delaying the inevitable...the kid's not gonna make it, Sir."

"Dammit," Anakin pinched the bridge of his nose, "Has there been any contact with Naruto or Ashoka?"

"We managed to send out a message to Sketch that looked like it got through, so they probably know to hurry up and get their asses in gear," Rex said, shrugging helplessly, "All we can do now is wait and hope for the best."

The young Jedi nodded, "You're right, Rex...okay, go get everything ready...arm everyone with droid busters, and make sure all the power packs for the blasters are fully charged...this is gonna be a long day." He said, and moved away from the table, moving off toward his starfighter.

Konoharmaru sat in the cockpit, his eyes shadowed, and his skin pale, covered in sweat. Anakin could see that he was barely breathing. His eyes were just barely open, and managed to smile when he saw Anakin standing there. "Did...did you find...my master?"

The Jedi frowned at how weak the boy sounded, "Yeah, we got a message through to them," he said, trying to reassure the boy, "He should be here real soon. You're gonna be fine."

The boy managed a smile, "He'll...come...he always...found me...when we were...in trouble..."

Anakin smiled, "We?"

"Me...and Hanabi..." the boy smiled.

Anakin nodded in understanding, "You two are close, huh," he asked, smiling, "She really seemed sad to see you going with us."

"We were always...together..." Konohamaru closed his eyes then, seemingly falling asleep.

Anakin shook his head. "Never should've brought you down here, little one," he sighed, turning about and leaning against the fighter, "but you can bet I'm gonna make sure you get home."

"Anakin!" Startled, the Jedi pushed off the fighter and looked around, spotting two insectoids coming toward them. And riding in the front was the very person he'd been praying for to show up.

"Naruto! Thank the Force," he ran toward them as they pulled to a stop, "I need your help. Kono - "

"We know," the blond said, and lept from the beast's back, "And you did everything right. I'm the one at fault here for allowing him to even stay with us. Where is he?"

"Here," Anakin led them over to his fighter, "We thought it'd be best to keep him where he could breathe clean air."

The blond nodded, "Good," he said, popping open the hatch, "Now I just have to heal him, and he should just sleep the rest of it off." He carefully took the boy from the cockpit, his breathing becoming ragged again as he came into contact with Malastare's air. "Ahsoka, I'll need you and Sketch to hold him down."

"Alright," the girl and Clone jumped down as Naruto placed him on the wing of the fighter, "What do we do?"

"Sketch, you get his legs, and watch out for when he starts kicking, the kid's got a lot of strength in his legs," he instructed, looking to Ahsoka, "Snips, you pin down his shoulders, Anakin, you help her, he might start punching or clawing. This is going to be rough."

The three took their places, and held the boy down as Naruto spread his hands out over his body. Sketch looked at Anakin, "I've never seen a Jedi healing in action before."

"It's a bit different from what I'm going to do," Naruto said, his voice already sounding strained. "Get ready."

What happened next was something none of them would ever forget. A thin veil spread from the blond's fingers, moving out and over Konohamaru's body. Where their hands and arms touched Konohamaru, the veil felt warm, like water flowing over them. "That's...this is impossible," Anakin breathed out.

"Tangible Force," the young Padawan sighed.

Sketch was stunned. He had seen Jedi in action before, but he'd never seen the Force used like this. He looked up at the Imperial, but was shocked at what he saw, "Uh...General...are his eyes supposed to look like _that_?"

Ahsoka looked at the same time Anakin did, and was shocked at what she saw. The white in Naruto's eyes had gone completely black. His irises, however, now shone brightly with a blue glow. "Master, is he - "

"No, it's not the Dark Side," Anakin said at once, "But...it's not completely the Light Side either."

As they spoke, sparks started shooting over Konohamaru's body, and the boy began to struggle. It wasn't immediate, but the sparks running over his body became more pronounced, and the boy thrashed wildly all the more.

"Jeez!" Sketch yelled as he held onto the boy's legs, "You weren't kidding! The little guy's got some power!"

More sparks started shooting down from Naruto's hands and into Konohamaru, and the boy started to cry out in pain.

Before the two Jedi or Clone could say anything, there was a loud crack, and Naruto fell to his knees while the boy stopped thrashing. Sketch moved to help the young Knight up, and support him as he staggered back to his feet, "You alright, General?"

"Yeah," the blond nodded, "Healing just takes a lot out of someone not used to doing it." He said, looking down at the boy, "How is he?"

Anakin smiled as he looked down at the sleeping apprentice, "He looks a lot better than he did," he said, "Do all of your people have to go through that?"

"Any one born and raised on Kawloon does," Naruto said, "my first time off the planet nearly killed me, too. If it wasn't for my mom, I wouldn't be here." He said, looking out across the fields, "What did we miss while we were gone?"

"Oh, the usual," Anakin shrugged, stepping up next to him, "Thanks for bringing my Padawan back to me."

Naruto smiled, and inclined his head slightly, "Thank you for saving my brother," he said, reaching out his hand, "I'll owe you for this one."

Anakin reached out and shook his hand, "Get us through this battle and I'll call it even."

"I've got a question," Ahsoka pipped up between the two, "Why did your eyes change like that? I've never seen anything like that before."

Naruto gave her a weak grin, "That would be my little secret for now, little Padawan," he said, much to her irritation, and flicked her montrol again.

"AH! I told you _not_ to do that!" Ahsoka yelled at him, but the blond merely walked off, " _HEY_! Don't walk away when I'm talking to you!"

Anakin shook his head as the girl chased after the blond. Things would certainly be a lot more interesting with the Knight around. He set off after them, looking back over the plains where the troops were still moving metal. Off in the distance he could just make out the shapes of the drop ships they'd been expecting. _Hours_ ahead of what they had figured.

* * *

 _ **Konohamaru has his first close call away from home, and the battle on Malastare is about to begin.**_

 _ **Don't forget to review, please!**_


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